Asserting that the massive turnout in the first phase of polling has sounded the "death knell" for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on Friday that the ruling party has "lost its nerve" in the face of an undeniable wave of change.
Addressing a high-decibel election rally in Panihati, the Prime Minister stated that the public’s overwhelming participation has already ensured an end to what he described as the TMC’s "maha jungle raj," alleging the period as a time marked by "systemic corruption, misrule, and the influence of infiltrators."
"The wave of change that had been visible in Bengal for a long time - yesterday's first phase of voting has put its seal on it. The support shown yesterday in favour of the BJP has sounded the conch shell of its victory," he said.
He issued a stern warning to those allegedly engaging in political intimidation, stating that after the results are declared on May 4, TMC "goons" will find no place to hide and no one to protect them from the law.
"The first phase of polling had marked the end of the TMC's 'maha jungle raj'," he claimed.
The Prime Minister placed women’s dignity and security at the center of his address, labeling the TMC an "anti-women party" while pitching the BJP’s model of "women-led development." He highlighted that the BJP has empowered victims of state atrocities by fielding them as candidates.
Referring to women candidates fielded by the BJP, Modi said the party had given representation to those who had suffered injustice.
"This mother helped her daughter become a doctor. But that daughter was taken away from her by the TMC. We have made that mother a candidate," Modi said while referring to the party's Panihati candidate, the mother of the RG Kar rape-murder victim.
"The BJP has also given an opportunity to the victim of Sandeshkhali to lead. When the women of Bengal ask for justice, the TMC tells them not to step out of their homes," Modi alleged.
PM Modi alleged that when the daughters of Bengal seek justice, the TMC leadership tells them to stay indoors to avoid rape rather than confronting the perpetrators.
Offering a "Modi Guarantee" to the women of the state, he promised that the BJP would not allow anyone to trample their dreams and vowed that files on all atrocities against women would be reopened immediately upon the formation of a BJP government.
Beyond law and order, the Prime Minister in an attempt to reach out to the middle class by contrasting the fiscal policies of his administration with the pre-2014 era when the TMC supported the central government. He noted that while taxes were previously imposed on annual incomes as low as Rs 2 lakh, his government has achieved a zero-tax threshold for income up to Rs 12 lakh to ease the burden on common citizens.
Congratulating the voters of both West Bengal and Tamil Nadu for their participation in the electoral process, PM Modi urged the people for their "blessings in terms of votes" to liberate the states. He concluded by telling the public that the polling in the first phase in Bengal has confirmed the victory of the BJP and the restoration of a government where the welfare of every citizen remains paramount.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)