Modi's 'vikas hobe' counters Mamata's 'khela hobe' in Jangalmahal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi countered West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s poll slogan “khela hobe [game shall be played]” with “vikas hobe [there’ll be development]” at a campaign rally in Purulia’s Bhangra ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections.

The “khela hobe” slogan of the Trinamool Congress has become so popular that it is finding mention in the speeches of top leaders, including the prime minister and home minister. It now features in all rallies address by the chief minister and of the TMC.

Speaking in Purulia, which is a part of the state’s previously-Maoist-infested jangalmahal area, on Thursday, Modi said, “Didi says ‘khela hobe’, BJP says jobs will happen…BJP says there’ll be development…BJP says there’ll be education…BJP says development will begin.”

He said that on May 2, the day the votes will be counted, Banerjee’s “khela [game]” will be
“shesh [over]” and development will start.

Recalling the debacle TMC faced in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, which saw the BJP making inroads into the state, Modi said Bengal made up it mind long back and it has been saying that TMC was reduced to half in Lok Sabha and this time it will be completely wiped out.

“Bengal has been saying ‘Lok Sabha mein TMC half aur iss baar poori saaf‘,” he said while adding that “seeing this determination, Didi is taking out her frustration on me. But for us, she’s a daughter like crores of daughters of India. Respect for them is part of our culture.”

The prime minister also wished a speedy recovery for Banerjee, who had suffered injuries during a rally after filing her nomination from Nandigram constituency earlier this month.

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Addressing the people of Purulia, he said the TMC government has given them a life riddled with water crisis, migration, and discriminatory governance. He said the Purulia district has been given the identity of being one of the most backward areas of the country.

“This land is a witness to Lord Ram and Goddess Sita’s exile. This land has Sitakund. It is also said that when goddess Sita was thirsty, Lord Ram got water from the ground by hitting it with an arrow…It is an irony that Purulia faces water crisis today,” said Modi.

“First the Left government and then the TMC government didn’t let industries develop here. The work that should’ve been done for irrigation, didn’t take place. I know the issues faced in rearing livestock due to less water. But TMC government was busy in its ‘khel’ by leaving farming on its own,” said the prime minister.

Repeatedly accusing the TMC chief of trying to appease a section of people for vote bank politics, Modi said, “The people of Bengal have a strong memory. Bengal remembers who accused the army of plotting a coup, whose side you took during the Pulwama attack and the Batla House encounter.”

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The prime minister hit out at the TMC government on the issue of corruption even during the COVID-induced lockdown. He alleged the TMC never considered Dalits, backwards and adivasis its own, and these sections were the worst victims of cut-money culture and ‘tolabaji’ (extortion) by the state’s ruling party.

Referring to a slew of central schemes which TMC government is yet to implement, he said, “We believe in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) while TMC believes in Transfer My Commission. TMC has created a new breed of Maoists in Bengal who loot public money; the money meant for poor people. Didi’s government has patronised Maoist violence.”

Purulia will vote during the first phase of the election on March 27, while the eight-phase election to the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly will continue till April 29 and the votes will be counted on May 2.