TMC Slams PM Modi Over Bengal Remarks After BJP’s Bihar Win

• PM Modi said Bihar’s mandate has “paved the way” for BJP’s victory in Bengal.
• TMC MP Sagarika Ghose accused him of treating Bengal as a territory to “conquer.”
• Ghose defended Mamata Banerjee’s leadership and criticised the Centre over withheld funds.
• TMC reiterated that Bengal will resist divisive politics and protect its cultural identity.

GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 15th Nov: The Trinamool Congress on Saturday sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks linking the BJP’s sweeping Bihar victory to its prospects in West Bengal. Addressing party workers after the NDA’s win in Bihar, the Prime Minister said the mandate had “paved the way” for a BJP triumph in Bengal, comparing it to the flow of the Ganga from Bihar to the state.

Responding to the comments, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose accused the Prime Minister of treating Bengal like “another piece of land to conquer.” In a video message posted on X, she said the people of the state would never accept the BJP’s approach, which she described as rooted in “saam, daam, dand, bhed”—a strategy she claimed the party uses to gain power through pressure, inducements, intimidation and division.

Ghose contrasted the leadership styles of Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying Banerjee is “on the ground 24/7” and remains the first point of support for citizens during crises. She highlighted the state’s flagship Kanyashree scheme as an example of long-term commitment to women’s empowerment, accusing the NDA of offering “pre-election bribes” in Bihar through women-centric promises.

The TMC MP also alleged that the Centre has been withholding Bengal’s rightful funds because the state refuses to “dance to your tune.” She criticised the BJP for what she described as attempts to brand migrant workers as “infiltrators,” claiming they are being targeted simply for speaking Bangla.

Ghose further accused the BJP of repeatedly insulting Bengal’s cultural identity and icons. “No Bengal voter will tolerate this,” she asserted, invoking figures like Swami Vivekananda, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and Rabindranath Tagore, and declaring, “We will fight you and we will win. Jai Bangla.”

The BJP, buoyed by its best-ever performance in Bengal with 77 seats in the 2021 assembly polls, is aiming to challenge the Trinamool government again next year. The TMC, which won 215 seats in 2021, maintains that Bengal’s political culture will continue to reject the BJP’s narrative.