PM says Didi heading an extortionist regime

Lunching a blistering attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused it of presiding over a regime that thrives on extortion. Nothing moves in Bengal without paying money to syndicates, he said.

In his 40-minute address in Midnapore, TMC’s pocket borough, Modi lashed out at the "appeasement politics" of Mamata Banerjee, saying even Durga Puja, the core and kernel of Bengal, was in danger because of it.

The reference was to the Chief Minister's embargo on Durga immersion ceremony last year in view of Ramzan processions, which had triggered widespread anger in the state.

Referring to the 34 years of Left Front rule in West Bengal, Modi said while it took time to oust the communists, it won't take long this time around. "The manner in which Tripura's syndicate was upturned, a similar fate awaits the TMC in West Bengal,’’ he said, and prophesied that the "state will be freed of all crimes and corruptions within months and it is just a matter of an opportunity".

"Those who do not support democracy, do not believe in the process of election or follow the Constitution, should be careful. This is Bengal, none of them will be spared," said the Prime Minister, who started his speech in Bengali amid tumultuous applause and high-decibel chants of "Modi, Modi".

"The BJP leader's speech proved that they have no development agenda at all. He came and gave a political ‘bhashan’. The net result is ZERO, ZERO, ZERO," read a press release signed by senior party leaders Derek O'Brien and Partha Chatterjee. Hitting back at PM Modi's accusation that TMC was an extortionist regime, the party accused the BJP of being a "syndicate that peddles religious extremism", for "fanatics, lynching, torture and corruption".

The TMC further accused the BJP of ferrying people from neighbouring states -Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha -- for the Prime Minister's rally. It also ridiculed his farmer overreach. According to a parliamentary report, in the first quarter of 2017, the number of farmer suicides in Maharashtra was 635, while the figure for Bengal was zero, the party said. ‘‘Hope the BJP leader has got his answer. These numbers tell the true story of the farmers' situation in the country and their condition in Bengal," the party said.