PM Narendra Modi lambasts Mamata regime, says Bengal looking to end oppression

Midnapore (West Bengal) : Launching a blistering attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused it of forming a nexus with the "all-pervading syndicates", murdering Dalit political activists and having no faith in democracy, the Indian constitution or the electoral process.

In one of his strongest tirades against the Trinamool Congress government, he told a rally here that none of the forces which perpetrated atrocities in Bengal in the past were spared, 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, follow the Constitution and the Government that has to be reprimanded by High Court and Supreme Court, 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".

Asking didi (elder sister, as Banerjee is called) to take note of "the strength and discipline" of the people at the rally, Modi urged the people and the workers of BJP to "think together and bravely" to shake the "foundation of the syndicate" as was done in Tripura - where the BJP won the assembly polls earlier this year by ending 25 years of Left Front rule.

"The way Tripura's syndicate was broken, it can be repeated in West Bengal. The resolution from this historic land has never been in vain."

Refering to the 34 years of Left Front rule in West Bengal that ended in 2011 when the Trinamool came to power, he said while it took time to vote out the communists, it won't take long this time around.

"People of Bengal saved themselves from the torture of the Left rule with the help of democracy. It took time then. Now Bengal will once again free itself of the wrongdoings and crimes within months. Bengal is waiting for its chance. People of Bengal are waiting for their opportunity."

Taking a swipe at the state administration here, the Prime Minister claimed that the syndicates are controlling everything in Bengal starting from construction to education.

"The people of Bengal have seen the real faces of those who talked about 'Maa, Mati, Manush' (Mother, motherland and people - Banerjee's pet slogan). People know what they have done for the last eight years and also know about their syndicate.

"These are the syndicate for snatching away the profit of the farmers, for conspiring to murder the political opposition, for torturing the poor and for maintaining their own vote banks to cling to power," Modi said while addressing the rally at the Midnapore college grounds.

"Syndicate is controlling everything here. Be it building a new school, new hospital or new road, nothing can be completed without satisfying the syndicate," he said adding that even the fund provided by the centre to the Bengal government is being misused by the syndicates here.

"The syndicate is deciding what materials to buy from which shops and who should get the contract for supplying materials. It also regulates the source of cement, sand, brick, woods, tin shades and other building materials...Even for getting admission in colleges, one needs to satisfy the syndicates. Otherwise they do not get admission," he said.

Referring to the violence and killing centring the recent state rural body elections, Modi congratulated the BJP activists for "standing firm" against the ruling party's attack in spite of several of them being killed and said the victory of the saffron outfit in a number of seats was an indication of Bengal's "bright future".

"I bow down my head to salute the people of Bengal who supported the BJP in the last state Panchayat election in spite of widespread violence and attacks on them. Our party activists were murdered one after the other. Many Dalit sons were snatched away from their parents.

"You did not give up. You stood firm against all the odds. This is a sign of Bengal's bright future. This gives hope to the people of Bengal. I congratulate all our activists here," he said.