SONARPUR / HARIPAL: Prime Minister Modi used his weekend election rallies in Haripal de Hooghly and Sonarpur of 24 South Parganas to return fire from Trinamool’s “bohiragoto (outsider)” saying that the West Bengal CM was welcome to contest the Varanasi polls without having to face xenophobia.
“Didi, the people of Varanasi and UP have a big heart like the people of Bengal. They won’t call you bohiragato. There you will meet many tilakwallahs and chotiwallahs. They will sing “Har Har Mahadev”. But they, along with others in Varanasi, will give you love. They can make you stay there, ”said the prime minister at the Sonarpur rally in what was evidently a response to the statement by Trinamool leaders that Mamata, after defeating the BJP in Bengal, would face Modi in his LS constituency of Varanasi.
Prime Minister quotes Netaji to poke fun at ‘outsider’
BJP members, including Modi, have claimed that Mamata “is looking for a second seat because she is afraid of losing to Nandigram.” TMC members, including MP Mahua Moitra, have responded to that by saying sarcastically that Banerjee could compete from Varanasi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to face Modi directly.
Modi took advantage of TMC’s mockery to attempt to portray her as provincial while seeking to represent BJP as a team that doesn’t differentiate between people based on the states they belong to. PM countered TMC’s “anti-outsider” plan also reiterating that the leader of a BJP government in Bengal would be a “son of earth”.
BJP tacticians seem to consider that TMC’s nativist tone would not work well with the “outsiders” who make up a significant portion in many constituencies. However, the prime minister said public disparagement of outsiders militated against the inclusivist grain of Bengal. He cited the example of Odisha-born Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to discredit TMC’s “outsider” campaign.
Modi’s speeches were marked by characteristic aggression. He said Bengal had decided to vote for TMC out of office, nicknamed her “Taka Mar Company (TMC)” at the Haripal rally and accused her of accepting “money cuts” even for the admission of patients to government hospitals. “Apni nijer goondader samlan (Control your thugs),” he said, adding that the BJP government would use Digital India to transfer social benefits to people without the need to “cut money.”
The prime minister seemed confident that the BJP could form the next Bengal government. “I will attend the swearing in and ask the CM to expedite the process of transferring Rs 18,000 to each farmer’s account under Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi,” he said. Modi scoffed at CM Bengal’s complaints against security forces, EVMs and the EC. “Didi, why are you angry? Is it because you couldn’t make chhappa votes (rig the poll)? All were praise for the EC, the EVMs and the security forces when they took office 10 years ago. ”
“Didi, the people of Varanasi and UP have a big heart like the people of Bengal. They won’t call you bohiragato. There you will meet many tilakwallahs and chotiwallahs. They will sing “Har Har Mahadev”. But they, along with others in Varanasi, will give you love. They can make you stay there, ”said the prime minister at the Sonarpur rally in what was evidently a response to the statement by Trinamool leaders that Mamata, after defeating the BJP in Bengal, would face Modi in his LS constituency of Varanasi.
Prime Minister quotes Netaji to poke fun at ‘outsider’
BJP members, including Modi, have claimed that Mamata “is looking for a second seat because she is afraid of losing to Nandigram.” TMC members, including MP Mahua Moitra, have responded to that by saying sarcastically that Banerjee could compete from Varanasi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to face Modi directly.
Modi took advantage of TMC’s mockery to attempt to portray her as provincial while seeking to represent BJP as a team that doesn’t differentiate between people based on the states they belong to. PM countered TMC’s “anti-outsider” plan also reiterating that the leader of a BJP government in Bengal would be a “son of earth”.
BJP tacticians seem to consider that TMC’s nativist tone would not work well with the “outsiders” who make up a significant portion in many constituencies. However, the prime minister said public disparagement of outsiders militated against the inclusivist grain of Bengal. He cited the example of Odisha-born Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to discredit TMC’s “outsider” campaign.
Modi’s speeches were marked by characteristic aggression. He said Bengal had decided to vote for TMC out of office, nicknamed her “Taka Mar Company (TMC)” at the Haripal rally and accused her of accepting “money cuts” even for the admission of patients to government hospitals. “Apni nijer goondader samlan (Control your thugs),” he said, adding that the BJP government would use Digital India to transfer social benefits to people without the need to “cut money.”
The prime minister seemed confident that the BJP could form the next Bengal government. “I will attend the swearing in and ask the CM to expedite the process of transferring Rs 18,000 to each farmer’s account under Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi,” he said. Modi scoffed at CM Bengal’s complaints against security forces, EVMs and the EC. “Didi, why are you angry? Is it because you couldn’t make chhappa votes (rig the poll)? All were praise for the EC, the EVMs and the security forces when they took office 10 years ago. ”
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