Having faced much criticism over his Government’s handling of the Vijay Mallya case, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asserted no bank defaulter will be spared even as he accused the Congress of opening banks for the rich during its rule. He said it was his Government that has tightened the screws on the “looters”, who were now fleeing due to fear of going to jail.
Modi changed tack in Kharagpur to blunt Congress-left attack on the BJP’s ‘mysterious silence’ on Trinamool Congress as he termed CM Mamata Banerjee a shehenshah who took West Bengal to the graveyard in just five years flat after the left destroyed the State in 34 years. Bomb making is the only industry flourishing in the State, he said.
Addressing two public rallies — one each at Rangapara in Assam’s north bank and Panchgram in Barak Valley — for the second consecutive day, Modi said that the money, which had been looted from the banks, belongs to poor people of the country and assured to bring back each and every paisa from these looters.
Attacking Banerjee for shattering the people’s dream, he said the Trinamool Congress had given a call for Parivartan or change but “in the name of Parivartan this Government gave you (people) Saradha and Narada (scams). So much so, that the whole leadership can be seen in the television accepting bribe,” and “guess whose money they were looting”.
Modi, who was holding his first election rally in Bengal, wondered “Did you want a change like thisIJ” “What the left did in 34 years, the Trinamool has done in five years. The CPI(M) ruined Bengal and the Trinamool has reached it to the graveyard.”
The Trinamool had indeed brought a Parivartan in Bengal he said. “But that change has come in the way how Mamata Banerjee conducts herself. There is a change in her ways, her style of functioning. Today she has transformed herself into an emperor from a people’s leader and democracy has gone for a toss.” The people wanted a change but Banerjee had stabbed them in the back, Modi said.
Once, Bengal was the pioneer in industry and today the only industry in the State is that of bomb making he said reminding how nothing had changed in the State in the past five years of Trinamool rule.
“In education, the State continues to remain at the 12th place, in health sector it has barely progressed to the 10th place from the 11th position during the left rule. In power it has marginally improved from 18th to 17th position and in Finance it continues to occupy the 8th place,” the Prime Minister said ridiculing the Bengal Chief Minister for taking credit in distributing subsidised rice to the poor.
“There the Centre gives Rs 27 subsidy in rice for the poor and here she takes credit that she is giving rice for free,” he reminded.
Attacking the Congress and the left for their “political hypocrisy” with equal force, the Prime Minister said, “While in Bengal these two parties are making friendship in Kerala they are fighting each other”. “One thing is common among the Congress, left and the Trinamool. All of them are against the BJP,” he said.