DURGAPUR, July 18 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that West Bengal’s return to prosperity hinges on the ouster of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), accusing the ruling party of stalling development and scaring away investors.
Addressing a rally in Durgapur, the PM said Bengal once thrived as a hub of industry and progress but has now been reduced to a state where “youths are forced to migrate in search of jobs, industries are shutting down, and development is stalled.”
“West Bengal was once a centre of development, but now the situation has completely changed,” Modi told the crowd. “The TMC is acting like a wall in the path of Bengal’s growth. If BJP comes to power here, we will transform Bengal into one of the country’s top industrial regions.”
Modi alleged that lawlessness, political violence, and biased policing have deterred investment in the state. “Why would any investor come to a place where riots are frequent and police act under political pressure? TMC’s ‘goonda tax’ has choked West Bengal’s future,” he said.
He insisted that “real change” would only be possible once the ruling party is removed. “The countdown has begun. Once TMC is ousted, Bengal’s real transformation will start,” Modi declared.
The rally comes as BJP intensifies its campaign in the state ahead of the next Assembly elections, positioning itself as the only alternative to what it describes as TMC’s corrupt and oppressive rule.
