Malda: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lambasted the TMC over the cancellation of around 26,000 jobs following a high court order, asserting that the youth of West Bengal have suffered due to the “cut-and-commission” culture of the party, which is now “synonymous with scams”.
Speaking at an election rally in Malda, Modi highlighted the plight of the youth who, in desperation, took loans to pay bribes to TMC leaders.
“The TMC indulges in scams for which the people of the state have to suffer. The party has been playing with the future of the youth of Bengal,” he said. He emphasised how the TMC’s involvement in scams has not only jeopardised the future of Bengal’s youth but has also adversely affected thousands of families.
“The teacher recruitment scam snatched the livelihood of around 26,000 families. The youth who took loans to pay bribes to the TMC leaders are now burdened by this situation too. The Centre is working towards generating jobs for the youth of the country,” he said.
Earlier this week, the Calcutta High Court declared the recruitment process of the State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools as “null and void,” ordering the cancellation of all appointments made through it.
“Under TMC rule, only one thing exists - scams totalling thousands of crores. The culprit is TMC, but the entire state is forced to pay for its deception and scams,” he said.
Highlighting various scams, including the Sharada chit fund scam, the Rose Valley chit fund scam, and the coal smuggling scandal, Modi accused the TMC of prioritising corruption over the welfare of the people.
Addressing the women electorate, particularly in the minority-dominated district of Malda, Modi accused the TMC of betraying Muslim sisters by opposing the abolition of triple talaq.
“The TMC, which came to power by talking about Maa-Mati-Manush (Mother-land-people), has committed the biggest betrayal against the women here. When the BJP government abolished triple talaq to protect Muslim sisters from atrocities, TMC opposed it,” he said. Referring to recent incidents in Sandeshkhali, where allegations of sexual abuse against TMC leaders surfaced, Modi criticised
the state govt for its alleged apathy towards the victims.
“So many atrocities were committed against women in Sandeshkhali and the TMC government kept protecting the main accused till the end… Whereas the BJP govt is working for the dignity of women,” he said. Slamming the Congress and the TMC for spreading canards about CAA, Modi said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act “is about granting citizenship and not snatching it.”
“The Congress and the TMC to appease their vote-bank politics are opposing the CAA. Why are they opposing Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist refugees, who were forced to leave their land due to religious persecution, from getting citizenship? The CAA is about granting citizenship and not snatching it,” he said.