Accusing the Trinamool Congress government of using all its might to shield those accused of the Sandeshkhali violence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 6 said that the “storm of Sandeshkhali” will rage across West Bengal and bring an end to the Trinamool regime.
“The anger of women will not be limited to Sandeshkhali alone. The storm of Sandeshkhali will rage across Bengal. I can see that the women of Bengal have come out to destroy the mafia rule of West Bengal,” the Prime Minister said addressing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Nari Shakti Vandana rally at Barasat in North 24 Parganas district.
Also Read | Sandeshkhali violence: Fire and smoke in a West Bengal village
Mr. Modi said that the Trinamool Congress had committed a ‘sin’ at Sandeshkhali and all the people were hanging their heads in shame over the development. Addressing his third political rally in West Bengal in a span of a week, Mr. Modi highlighted the efforts of the Trinamool Congress government to shield the accused in the Sandeshkhali violence but added that it had to suffer setbacks at the High Court and Supreme Court.
The Prime Minister said that the Trinamool Congress government had reposed their faith in their leader who committed atrocities on women, but not on the women of the State. He accused the Trinamool Congress government of being anti-women and said that only BJP can give voice to the women of the State.
“The TMC government which works under the influence of extortionists and those believing in appeasement politics cannot provide security to women. On the other hand the BJP government at the Centre has brought provision of death penalty for crimes like rape,” he said.
The public meeting at Barasat was organised by the BJP to highlight the Sandeshkhali issue and may women had come to meet the Prime Minister. Sources in the BJP said that the victims of violence at Sandeshkhali shared their ordeal with Mr. Modi.
Sandeshkhali, where allegations of land grab and sexual assault have triggered an outrage, has emerged as a poll plank for the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha election.
“We have created a helpline so that our sisters can easily complain in times of crisis. However, the TMC government is not allowing this system to be implemented here. Such an anti-women government can never do any good for women,” the Prime Minister said.
Also read | Sandeshkhali, the untold story
He also targeted the leaders of the Opposition INDIA alliance and said that sensing the return of the NDA government, the leaders of the Opposition have started hurling abuses at him. “These corrupt leaders of the bloc are asking about my family, claiming that Modi does not have his own family; this is because I speak against dynasty politics and nepotism,” he said. “The entire country is my family, 140 crore Indians are my family,” the Prime Minister said.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Modi inaugurated several metro rail projects, including East West Metro’s Esplanade-Howrah Maidan section, which passes under the Hooghly river through underwater transportation tunnels.
Mamata hikes salaries
As the politics in the State has become centred on women ahead of the election, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday hiked the salary of ASHA and anganwadi workers. Ms. Banerjee said that ASHA workers would receive a hike of ₹750 every month, and the monthly remuneration for anganwadi workers would be increased by ₹500. The Trinamool Congress government had earlier hiked the cash incentive in the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme.
