Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged that the “tukde-tukde” gang had threatened to snap the strategic Siliguri Corridor to cut off the Northeast from the rest of the country, and the TMC gave them support from the streets to the Parliament because of its “appeasement politics”.
Addressing an election rally at the Kawakhali ground in the northern West Bengal city of Siliguri, Modi called the TMC an “anti-tribal, anti-women and anti-youth party”, whose appeasement politics has brought about untold misery to the state. “The country has a ‘tukde-tukde’ (balkanisation) gang, and it threatened to cut off the Siliguri Corridor. They wanted to separate the Northeast from the country. TMC, which indulges in appeasement politics, supports such people from the streets to Parliament. That is the real face of TMC,” he alleged, addressing his eighth rally in the state since assembly elections were declared.
The Corridor, also known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, is a narrow stretch of land in the northern part of Bengal, not more than 20-22 km wide, acting as the only land link between mainland India and its eight northeastern states.
It is a critical and highly vulnerable geopolitical bottleneck bordered by Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and is barely 130 km from the China border. Calling it “the nation’s corridor of defence as well as prosperity”, Modi said the Centre was working around the clock to strengthen and develop the region on a massive scale, citing the under-construction Sevoke-Rangpo railway line, connecting Sikkim to Siliguri.
“The project will not only ensure rail connectivity between Bengal and Sikkim, but it will also strengthen trade and tourism in the region, whose direct benefit can be reaped by the youth of Darjeeling,” he said.
Urging people to vote for a ‘double engine’ government, Modi said Bengal will witness development at double the speed once the BJP assumes power in the state. Harping on TMC’s “appeasement politics”, the PM alleged that while the Mamata Banerjee government has allotted Rs 6,000 crore for Madrasa development in its state budget, its fund allotment for the entire north Bengal region is “nowhere sufficient”. “The people of Bengal are now seeking answers from the TMC for every moment it spent in power over the last 15 years,” Modi said, asserting that when the BJP comes to power, it will make the Mamata Banerjee-led party “pay for its misdeeds”.
He alleged that the TMC has destroyed the state during its 15-year tenure and halted implementation of central schemes like the one for providing piped drinking water to remote tribal areas, as a result of which less than 25 per cent of work could be completed. Calling the Mamata Banerjee government ‘nirmam’ (cruel), an obvious antonym to the chief minister’s name, the PM said the people of the state have had enough of the TMC’s “reign of fear”, accusing its government of bringing suffering down on the fledgling tea gardens of north Bengal.
Calling the TMC an “anti-north Bengal and anti-tea garden party”, Modi alleged that unbridled illegal entries caused by TMC’s “appeasement policies” are causing major demographic changes in the region.
“It will be too late if the infiltration menace is not stopped right away. ‘Kamal khilao, ghuspetia bhagao’ (vote for lotus and drive infiltrators away),” he said, referring to the BJP’s election symbol. Modi said the energy he had been witnessing among the people of Bengal has convinced him that the TMC’s defeat is certain in the upcoming elections.
“The excitement and energy I witnessed among the people in the last few days has convinced me that TMC’s exit is fixed. My travel from the Badgodra airport to the hotel on Saturday turned out to be a 15-km road show as thousands of people, from children to senior citizens, had gathered.
It blew my mind and humbled me with respect for you,” he said.
“As a return gift to the blessings you have showered on me, I promise to dedicate my life to you and will keep fighting for you till my last breath,” he said.
The PM was campaigning for BJP candidates in Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, where polling will be held in the first phase on April 23. While the second phase of polling will be held on April 29, the votes will be counted on May 4.
