BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Thursday said that if his party comes to power in West Bengal, it will rename places he claimed are “antithetical to the state’s culture and ethos.”
Addressing an election rally in Chakulia in Uttar Dinajpur district, Nabin also alleged that infiltration from Bangladesh is posing a threat to women’s safety, and said a BJP government would ensure such individuals are dealt with according to law and sent back.
He said that places across the state, from Alipurduar to Islampur, would not retain names he described as inconsistent with West Bengal’s cultural identity under a BJP regime.
"After May 4, changes in your lives will be ushered in along with changes in the names of these places," he said.
Assembly elections in the state will be held in two phases on April 23 and 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.
Nabin described the election as a contest between the state’s “tyrannical government, which signifies corruption, repression, lawlessness and 'mahajangalraj'”, and the BJP, which he said enjoys the trust of the people.
He urged voters to support a “double-engine” government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure all-round development.
He further claimed that West Bengal, once known for its achievements in education and industry, has declined during the rule of the Congress, followed by the Left Front and the current TMC government.
Asserting that the time has come for the people of the state to turn the page on the hardships, Nabin claimed that a BJP government will bring back the smile on the faces of the poorer sections, make women feel secure and provide job opportunities to the youth.
Maintaining that the women of the state are not safe under the Mamata Banerjee government, she cited incidents such as the R G Kar rape-murder case and the rape and murder of a college student at Kamduni in North 24 Parganas district.
He maintained that if the people of West Bengal want an end to politics of hatred and violence, they should cast their votes on April 23 and 29 to usher in change.
Accusing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the TMC in West Bengal of appeasing a particular section of people, the BJP leader said, "Whenever the leaders of Congress and other opposition parties attack us, people strengthen us further through their votes."
Stating that the police force in West Bengal has been weakened by the Mamata Banerjee dispensation, Nabin alleged that the TMC government is more interested in providing security to infiltrators than to the people of the state.
Nabin sought to assure the women of West Bengal that a BJP government will give more financial assistance to them than what was being provided by the Mamata Banerjee dispensation, besides safety, security and respect.
He asserted that under a BJP government, youths of West Bengal will not have to migrate to other states for education and employment opportunities.
Nabin said the benefits of central welfare projects such as the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme or the PM Awas Yojana were denied to the people of West Bengal by the TMC government because "these did not display the photograph of Didi (Mamata Banerjee)".
The BJP chief alleged that clubs in the state receive money for holding Durga Puja only on the condition that Banerjee's photo will be displayed in the pandals.
(With inputs from PTI)
