Trinamool accuses Modi of ‘peddling lies’ at Singur rally

Kolkata: After the Prime Minister Narendra Modi from a rally in Sigur on Sunday hit out at the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government giving a clarion call to oust it, while comparing the ruling dispensation with “maha-jungleraj”, TMC countered Modi’s claims with facts thereby showing the state under the leadership of the Chief Minister is on the right track of industrial growth.

Speaking at a Press conference, TMC MP Partha Bhowmick and Shashi Panja said contrary to what Modi claimed, the state has attracted an investment of Rs 13.8 lakh crore from 2011 till 2025, and the Mamata Banerjee government also approved a Rs 500-crore state-of-the-art warehouse project on 11.35 acres in Singur.

The ruling party leaders also stated that an agro-industrial park is coming up in Singur on 8 acre land and the project is being implemented by the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) Ltd.

The ruling party also stated that Mamata Banerjee, as Railways minister, launched several projects, including the Tarakeswar-Bishnupur railway lines in 2000-2001. A portion of the same Tarakeswar-Bishnupur railway line was inaugurated by PM Modi on Sunday.

TMC also reacted sharply to Modi’s claim that ‘Bangla’ was recognised as a classical language when his government and it was the BJP government’s efforts which led to Durga Puja being named as a UNESCO cultural heritage.

TMC leaders Bhowmick and Panja said Prime Minister’s party leader Amit Malviya, who looks after the BJP’s IT cell, termed ‘Bangla’ as Bangladeshi language. They also said that it was the efforts and initiatives of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee which brought UNESCO recognition for Durga Puja.

“Bangla language and literature are very prominent, but Bangla was recognised as a classical language when you (people) blessed me. The BJP government’s efforts also led to Durga Puja being named as a UNESCO cultural heritage,” PM Modi said in Singur.

“PM Modi called Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay ‘Bankim Da’. The Union Home Minister called Rabindranath Thakur as Rabindranath Sanyal. Their half pant minister called Swami Vivekananda a communist. Vidyasagar’s statue was ransacked during the Home Minister’s rally. Should we learn from the BJP as to how to respect our icons? Bhowmick asked.

“Chief Minister Banerjee was always with the Durga puja organisers and started giving funds for organising the puja. It was the BJP which moved the court to stop the funds meant for Durga Puja. Those who tried to stop Pujas are now talking about puja recognition,” TMC leaders said.

Trinamool Congress in a post on X stated: “Singur doesn’t take kindly to liars. Never has, never will. This is the land that buried corporate land-grab politics. So when PM @narendramodi stood in Singur today and claimed that no investments are coming to Bengal, he wasn’t just distorting facts, he was insulting the intelligence of Bengal’s people. Regret to inform him that Singur is back on the mainstream industrial map.

“Under the leadership of Smt. @MamataOfficial, our Maa-Mati-Manush Sarkaar has approved a ₹500-crore state-of-the-art warehouse project on 11.35 acres in Singur, strengthening e-commerce logistics for players like Amazon and Flipkart and creating large-scale employment opportunities for local youth,” TMC further wrote.

Meanwhile, Modi on Sunday launched development projects worth over Rs 830 crore in West Bengal and flagged off three Amrit Bharat trains connecting Kolkata with other parts of the country. At a function in Hooghly district’s Singur, the prime minister also inaugurated the Jayrambati-Barogopinathpur-Maynapur rail line, and flagged off a train between Maynapur and Jayrambati. Concluding his address, PM Modi paid tribute to the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, highlighting the cultural significance of Hooghly.

After Modi accused the TMC and the state government of compromising national security and failing to act against illegal infiltration, the ruling party also attacked Modi, asking who would be responsible for the deaths that occurred due to “hasty” implementation of SIR.

After the Prime Minister alleged that adequate development works did not take place under the current government, TMC alleged that during the BJP’s rule, the country has seen the highest unemployment.