Krishnanagar/Mathurapur (WB) | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated the people of West Bengal for their massive turnout in the first phase of assembly elections, and called the voting figures so far indicative of an "overwhelming mandate for change".
Addressing poll rallies in Krishnanagar in Nadia district on a day when voters across 152 constituencies of the state queued up to exercise their franchise in the aftermath of the over 90 lakh SIR deletions, Modi also congratulated the Election Commission for keeping "violence during the assembly polls in the state at a minimum".
"This is the first time in the last 50 years of poll history in West Bengal that incidents of violence were kept at a minimum. The information I have received so far about the record-breaking turnout makes me certain that this is going to be an overwhelming mandate in favour of a change which West Bengal's voters have already decided to bring about," the PM said.
Addressing a gathering at the South 24 Parganas district's Kakdwip stadium under the Mathurapur assembly constituency, the PM claimed that the massive poll turnout in the state signalled a transition from the TMC's regime of 'bhoy' (fear) to the 'bharosa' (trust) the BJP has promised.
May 4, when votes will be counted, would mark the "expiry" of the "TMC's 15-year-old syndicate system and maha jungle raj" in West Bengal, Modi said.
Referring to previous voter turnout figures elsewhere in the country, the PM claimed the BJP achieved decisive victories whenever people turned up to vote in massive numbers.
West Bengal has recorded an average voter turnout of nearly 90 per cent till 5 pm, among the highest in the state's recent electoral history, with lakhs reportedly still waiting in queues, ignoring the sweltering heat that swept across the districts.
Reports of sporadic violence were received from some pockets of the state during the course of the day, despite unprecedented security arrangements, where over 2,400 companies of central paramilitary troops were deployed across the 44,000-plus booths where polling took place.
Modi said the BJP's West Bengal unit would hold victory celebrations on May 4 after the counting of votes gets over, where the party would distribute among people not just sweets, but also 'jhalmuri', the popular street snack which the PM savoured at an unscheduled stop during his visit to Jhargram last week.
Referring to that incident, Modi took a dig at TMC leaders after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed the PM's extended stay as "drama" and claimed that "the entire episode was scripted".
"I have heard that even jhalmuri has given certain individuals a thunderous jolt... I had 'jhalmuri', but it seems that the TMC leaders are feeling the heat of the chillies," he said.
Referring to "people's disgust with TMC's syndicate, criminal and mafia nexus", Modi claimed the party will not win even a single seat in certain districts of the state.
Speaking at Krishnanagar, an area which has a significant concentration of the Hindu Namasudra Matua community members and where SIR deletions have led to perceptible angst, the PM said the process of awarding citizenship to persecuted refugees from Bangladesh would be expedited after the elections.
"The TMC mantra is 'ghuspetiyo ke saath, ghuspetiyo ka vikaas' (support infiltrators, promote their development). We must stop this conspiracy of granting citizenship to outsiders with false documents which endangers our land. A new guarantee of security will begin in West Bengal after May 4," the PM said.
Invoking Matua religious icons Hari Chand and Guru Chand Thakur, as well as the former sect leader Boromaa, Modi said no Matua needs to fear backlash from the TMC.
"Modi stands with all those who have sought refuge in India following religious persecution. The process of granting citizenship through CAA will be expedited further after the BJP assumes power in West Bengal," the PM said.
"The BJP has decided to pursue a zero-tolerance policy for infiltrators who are sneaking into the country by sea routes as well, and receiving the TMC's patronage in settling here," the prime minister alleged at Kakdwip, which borders the Sunderbans delta.
Focusing on the issue of women's safety in the state, Modi referred to the 2022 gangrape and murder of a teenager in Hanskhali, calling it an example of TMC's model of fear which it has spread across the state.
"The cases of women trafficking in the state are steadily on the rise," he claimed.
Asserting that the TMC can never bring about true empowerment of women in West Bengal, the PM attacked the party for "collaborating with the Congress to stop the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament" last week.
"The BJP wants to reserve 33 per cent seats in Parliament and at the state assemblies from the next Lok Sabha polls for women, but the TMC doesn't want it. Women of West Bengal will surely punish the TMC for this sin," he said.
As an extension to his earlier promises of 'six poll guarantees' for the state, the PM pledged a fresh set of 10 'Modi ki guarantees' aimed at the uplift and welfare of women in West Bengal.
"We will ensure the strictest punishment for those perpetrating torture and violence on the women, set up special police stations for women in every block of the state and build special security kiosks on the streets. The state's women would be inducted into the police force in greater numbers," Modi said.
The PM promised an annual grant of Rs 36,000 to the bank accounts of all women through the state BJP's newly launched 'Matri Shakti Bharosa' card and pledged Rs 50,000 assistance to female students of the state for their graduation studies.
Later in the afternoon, the PM visited the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission at Belur Math in Howrah, where he offered prayers before the idols of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda, and interacted with the monks of the order.
Modi wrapped up his day's schedule by holding a colourful road show on GT Road in the northern part of Howrah city.
