Daijiworld Media Network – Durgapur
Durgapur, Jul 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a scathing attack on West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), urging the people to give the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a chance to form an “honest, hardworking, and strong” government in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Speaking at a massive rally in Durgapur, PM Modi accused the TMC government of fostering a "double attack of crime and corruption," particularly in the education sector. “From primary to higher education, Bengal’s system is crumbling. TMC has handed over Bengal’s education to crime and corruption. Thousands of qualified teachers remain unemployed due to their misdeeds,” the PM said.
His remarks come as protests continue over the Calcutta High Court’s 2024 order cancelling teacher appointments amid a massive recruitment scam. On July 14, SSC-qualified teachers staged a protest under the banner of Jogya Shikshak Shikshika Adhikar Mancha, demanding justice.
Highlighting the fallout of the alleged scam, Modi said, “The future of thousands of children is in jeopardy due to teacher shortage. TMC has pushed both the present and the future of Bengal into darkness.”
He also condemned rising campus insecurity, referencing the RG Kar Medical College case that sparked widespread outrage. “The party that chants ‘Ma, Maati, Manush’ is now inflicting pain and injustice on daughters. When a young doctor was subjected to atrocities, the government shielded the accused instead of standing with the victim,” he charged.
Taking aim at cultural issues, PM Modi accused TMC, Left, and Congress of sidelining the Bengali language. “It was the BJP government that gave Bangla the status of a classical language. The TMC and the Left supported Congress for years in Delhi but did nothing for it,” he said.
Lamenting West Bengal’s industrial decline, Modi said cities like Durgapur, Asansol, and Bardhaman, once buzzing with development, are now witnessing closure of industries. “Youth are forced to migrate in search of jobs. We must bring Bengal out of this crisis,” he appealed.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for several major projects. These include:
• BPCL City Gas Distribution Project in Bankura and Purulia districts worth Rs 1,950 cr, aimed at delivering PNG to households and CNG to vehicles, while generating employment.
• The Kolkata section (132 km) of the Durgapur-Haldia Natural Gas Pipeline, a part of the PM Urja Ganga Project.
• The Retrofitting Pollution Control Systems at Durgapur Steel Thermal Power Station and Raghunathpur Thermal Power Station, worth Rs 1,457 cr, under Damodar Valley Corporation.
Wrapping up his address, PM Modi appealed to the people of Bengal to choose BJP in 2026 for a “government of development, jobs, and good governance.”