Fog can’t silence Modi: PM slams ‘cut and commission’ TMC in virtual Taherpur address

Modi addressed a gathering in Nadia district through an audio message from Kolkata after he was forced to return to the state capital as his helicopter failed to land in Taherpur due to dense fog.

In his brief address to the large crowd, the Prime Minister lashed out at the state government, accusing it of putting politics above development.

“Bengal has a government that is only engaged in cuts and commissions. Even today, development projects worth thousands of crores of rupees are stalled in West Bengal. From the depths of my heart, I want to say that if the TMC wants to oppose Modi, let it do so; if it wants to oppose the BJP, let it oppose us aggressively, with full force. But what I fail to understand is why the development of Bengal is being obstructed,” Modi said.

“Oppose Modi and the BJP as much as you like, but do not make the people of Bengal suffer. Do not deprive them of their rights and do not commit the sin of crushing the dreams of the people. That is why I appeal to the enlightened people of Bengal to try forming a double-engine BJP government here and see how rapidly we develop Bengal,” he added.

The Prime Minister also drew a comparison between West Bengal and Tripura, urging voters to bring a change in governance to accelerate development.

“Tripura is moving ahead at a rapid pace, while under the TMC, Bengal is falling behind just as fast. Bengal needs a Bharatiya Janata Party government that can restore the state’s pride and drive development with the speed of a double-engine government, unlike the stagnation seen under the Trinamool Congress,” Modi said.

This marked Modi’s first visit to the state after the first phase of the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which has triggered political tussles between the TMC and the BJP.

The Prime Minister further alleged that the TMC, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was shielding infiltrators despite what he described as the BJP’s “honest efforts” to address the issue.

“Amid the BJP’s honest efforts, people must remain alert to the conspiracies of the Trinamool Congress. The TMC is using all its influence to shield infiltrators. Whenever BJP leaders speak out against infiltration, it is the TMC leadership that appears unsettled and defensive,” he said.

Meanwhile, as Modi waited at Kolkata airport following the aborted landing in Nadia, chaos briefly erupted at the rally venue as BJP supporters, who had turned up in large numbers, attempted to breach police barricades.

West Bengal is scheduled to go to the Assembly polls in the summer of 2026.