In Bengal, Modi targets TMC over Sandeshkhali
ARAMBAGH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a scathing attack on the TMC government in West Bengal over atrocities on women in Sandeshkhali, and said the entire country is reeling with anger over the issue.
Modi also slammed the opposition bloc INDIA for maintaining a stoic silence on the issue of Sandeshkhali horrors.
“Amid achievements, the entire country is watching the situation of Bengal today. The whole country is sad and angry after seeing what TMC, which beats the drum of Maa, Mati, and Manush, has done to the sisters of Sandeshkhali.
“What TMC has done to the sisters of Sandeshkhali is a matter of shame,” he said at a rally at Arambagh in Hooghly district.
Accusing the TMC government of being corrupt in all spheres, PM Modi said, “For INDI alliance leaders, supporting the corrupt and appeasement politics is of prime importance rather than stand by those tortured by the TMC in Sandeshkhali.
“The TMC is confident that it has the support of the minorities, but the Muslims this too will vote against the goonda raj of the TMC,” he said.
The Sandeshkhali region, located on the fringes of the Sunderbans, has been engulfed in turmoil for over a month due to accusations against TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his cohorts of sexual abuse and land usurpation.
Sheikh was arrested by the police yesterday after being on the run for 55 days.
On the same day, the Prime Minister also addressed a public rally in West Bengal’s Hooghly.
“We have set a target of making the country ‘developed’ by 2047. The poor, youth, farmers, and women of the country are priorities of the government,” he said.
“We have consistently taken steps for the welfare of the poor, the outcome of which is being witnessed by the world. In the past 10 years, 25 crores of people came out of poverty. This shows that the government is relying on fair policies, decisions and directions. The prime reason is that the intent of the government is pure,” added the PM.
PM Modi further said that he inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of several projects including those related to rail, ports, petroleum, and ‘Jal Shakti’.
“Today, we have inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth more than 7,000 crore in West Bengal. This includes rail, ports, petroleum and ‘Jal Shakti’ related projects,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister further highlighted that the goal of the government is to modernise railway facilities in West Bengal, with the speed at which it is being done in other parts of the country.
“India has shown the world how development is done in sync with the environment. From Haldia to Barauni, a crude oil pipeline measuring over 500 Kilometres is an example of this. Today, sewage treatment plant is being commenced in a bid to reduce pollution in the Hugli River,” he said.
The Prime Minister underlined that a budget worth over Rs 13,000 crores have been alloted for the development of railways in West Bengal.
“The central government, this year, has alloted a budget worth over Rs 13,000 crore for development of Railways in West Bengal; this amount is three times higher than that alloted before 2014,” said the PM.
Prime Minister Modi also threw light on the tenure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the past 10 years.