Syndicate rule will end in Bengal, says PM Modi
MIDNAPORE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who came to highlight his government’s achievements for the country’s farmers, tore into ruling Trinamool Congress alleging it encouraged syndicates that dictate everything.
“Syndicate” is a popular term in Bengal that refers to local bodies of ruling party-backed toughs that run building material and extortion business.
Modi’s address became a virtual war cry for the Lok Sabha elections in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking at least 22 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats.
“Be it starting a new business, or building a hospital, or a school of a road, nothing moves in the state unless the syndicates, controlled by the ruling party, are taken into confidence. The syndicates also decide whom the farmers would sell their products to and at what price. These syndicates were behind the major chit fund scam in Bengal,” he said during a 40-minute speech that he delivered as a BJP leader.
The PM also thanked the people of Bengal for impressive results of BJP in the recently concluded panchayat polls despite “widespread violence and intimidation by the ruling party”.
Alleging that the situation in Bengal has worsened after the 34-year-old “misrule” of the Left Front, he urged the people to throw out the Trinamool like the
people did to the Left in Tripura.
“Did you bring change to land in a worse situation? I am confident if people of Bengal decide to fight back, the rule of syndicate in Bengal will end just as it has ended at Tripura recently,” Modi remarked.
Modi earlier addressed similar rallies in Punjab and eastern UP, where his mainly dwelt on the steps taken by his government for farmer welfare. On July 4, the Centre announced higher minimum support prices for 14 crops, setting each of these at a minimum of 1.5 times the cost of cultivation, as it sought to address distress in the agrarian economy and ensuing farmers’ protests.
On Monday, the PM emphasised
that his government is working to double the income of the farmers by 2022.
Trinamool Congress reacted sharply with secretary general and state education minister, Partha Chatterjee andsaid, “BJP itself is a syndicate of corruption. Despite constant intimidation through central agencies, Trinamool will not bow down.” He also alleged that BJP tried to fill up the venue by bringing in people from other states.
Last week, Trinamool general secretary Subrata Bakshi directed that the towns of Midnapore and Kharagpur be wrapped in posters of chief minister Mamata Banerjee so that Modi is greeted by her images .