Vadnagar (Gujarat), Oct 7 (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday claimed that more than three lakh Bangladeshi infiltrators had been driven out of Gujarat by the BJP government, and alleged that 50 years of the rule by Communists and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) “ruined” his state.
Addressing the culmination programme of the ‘Varanasi to Vadnagar Seva Yatra’ in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s native Vadnagar town in Mehsana district, Adhikari said that without PM Modi, it would have been difficult to save Bengal from the point it had reached. Adhikari slammed the rule of Communists and TMC in West Bengal.
“Both-Communists and TMC-together didn’t just ruin West Bengal, but also worked to create threats to the security of the nation,” he said.
Adhikari claimed that Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi had driven out more than three lakh Bangladeshi infiltrators from the state.
“Where did they (infiltrators) come from? All of them came under the protection of (former West Bengal CM) Mamata Banerjee. The entire 600-kilometer border was left open,” he alleged.
Referring to the last West Bengal assembly elections, he said PM Modi led the BJP’s campaign there while Union Home Minister Amit Shah released the party’s manifesto.
Adhikari said the BJP had promised that if voted to power, its government would ensure that land was provided to the Border Security Force (BSF) within 45 days. PM Modi had given a guarantee for the development of West Bengal, he said, adding that a nationalist “double-engine” government had been formed in the state after 50 years.
“We have started our work,” he said, listing the welfare and development schemes, including the Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and the UDAN scheme.
Adhikari also alleged that previous governments in West Bengal indulged in politics of appeasement.
“People had to go to court just to celebrate Durga Puja. Permission for Ram Navmi processions was not granted. Those people worked to ruin Bengal,” he said.
Speaking about Vadnagar, Adhikari said, “I am grateful to have come to PM Modi’s birthplace. If it weren’t for Modiji, it would have been difficult to save West Bengal from the condition it had fallen into.”
He hailed Modi’s 25 years of public life as Gujarat CM and PM.
“I bow to this land which has given a noble son to Mother India, who has saved the nationalist, Sanatani people of West Bengal,” he said.
Speaking about the next Lok Sabha elections, Adhikari said the BJP would work under Modi’s leadership to win every seat in West Bengal.
“I commit to you that in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, under Modiji’s leadership, we will work towards giving every single seat in West Bengal to Modiji,” he said.
Adhikari also praised Modi’s leadership on national security and said those who carried out terror attacks against India had been given a fitting reply.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modiji taught the 140 crore people of our country the mantra of ‘Nation First’, that the nation is supreme,” he said.
He said Modi also taught people nationalism and how to ensure the welfare of the poor.
Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Gujarat CM Patel were among those present at the event.
Speaking on the occasion, CM Patel said Modi took charge as the Gujarat CM on October 7, 2001, and had since remained committed to national interest and public welfare.
Modi always regarded power as “an instrument of service” and credited the people for his 25 years of public service.
He urged people to collectively resolve to build a ‘Viksit Gujarat’ as part of the goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.
Recalling the challenges Gujarat faced when Modi became the chief minister, including the aftermath of the earthquake, shortages of power and water and inadequate infrastructure, Patel said Modi turned these challenges into opportunities and brought about a “360-degree transformation”.
Patel highlighted initiatives, including the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, Statue of Unity, bullet train, Metro and BRTS networks, GIFT City, semiconductor projects and green growth initiatives as examples of Modi’s vision for Gujarat.
He said Modi’s development model focused on the poor, farmers, rural citizens, women and youth, while making public participation a key part of governance
