PM's Bengal trips won't sway voters towards BJP, says TMC

Adhir too questions Modi’s frequent visits 

PTI, Kolkata, Mar 9, 2024 : The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's frequent visits to the state would not sway West Bengal voters in favour of the saffron camp. Instead, these visits would only strengthen the resolve of voters to reject the BJP, the party added. 

 TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, "In the past as well, the prime minister has made frequent visits to Bengal, and this time will be no different. Such visits will not yield the desired outcome. 

On the contrary, the more Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah visit, the more it will underscore how the party is promoting corrupt and ill-motivated people." 

However, the BJP declined to attach much importance to Ghosh assertions. BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said, "The comments reflect the panic in the TMC camp." 

Ghosh also criticised former judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay for his alleged politically motivated judgments and referred to the leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, as a "corrupt traitor." 

Modi's visit to the state on Saturday marks his third trip to the region in recent days. During his earlier two trips this month, the prime minister visited various districts of southern West Bengal—Hooghly, Nadia, and North 24 Parganas—which are considered strongholds of the TMC. 

West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Adhir Chowdhury too on Saturday questioned the Prime Minister's frequent visits to the state for poll campaigns, suggesting that if he was confident about BJP's growing support, such repeated trips wouldn't be necessary. Speaking to reporters in his LokSabha constituency Berhampore ahead of Modi's scheduled visit to Siliguri, Chowdhury wondered why the PM needed to campaign extensively in Bengal if he was buoyed by BJP's development works at the Centre. 

Modi had previously visited southern parts of Bengal on March 1 and 6,including a rally in Barasat near Kolkata, where he criticised the ruling TMC over the Sandeshkhali issue.

Chowdhury drew attention to the Prime Minister's Atmanirbhar' (self-reliant) slogan, suggesting that if Modi truly believed in it, he wouldn't need frequent visits to the state. Regarding the status of seat sharing between the Congress and its alliance partner Left in the INDIA bloc,

Chowdhury acknowledged that preliminary talks had taken place but emphasised that delays were not a cause for concern. 

"It takes time for the Central leadership of Congress to assess the situation in each state and discuss it with the concerned units before making decisions," he added. 

Chowdhury assured that announcements regarding seat sharing would be made at the appropriate time, indicating that there was no rush and that Congress was prepared for the upcoming elections.

He dismissed suggestions that Congress was in talks with parties like TMC, affirming that their stand remained clear. 

Chowdhury alleged that the TMC was attacking him on two fronts: politically to weaken him and by spreading false information about his performance as an MP, particularly regarding project implementation under MPLAD.