The Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually set the ball rolling for the BJP’s campaign for the West Bengal Assembly polls during his visit to Haldia today where he asserted that once the BJP forms a government in Bengal, the first cabinet meeting will seek to bring relief measures for all the farmers of the state who have been deprived of the benefits of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme by the ‘Ma Mati Manush’ (Trinamul Congress) government.

With the BJP and the TMC engaged in what is expected to be a tight fight in the Assembly election, Mr Modi launched a scathing offensive against the Trinamul government, which he alleged took one retrograde measure after another, leading to Bengal taking a backseat in terms of development.

Addressing lakhs of supporters from the podium in his first public rally in the state before the polls, the PM asked, “How many factories have come up in Bengal in the last 10 years? Mamata promised change in 2011 and people who believed in it today feel dejected. The state government didn’t even spare the poor farmers of the state who are still waiting to avail the Centre’s Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. Once BJP wins the polls, the first cabinet meeting will not just address the issue but also create provisions to clear the earlier funds which Bengal farmers couldn’t avail.”

Further taking a dig at Mamata Banerjee, the Prime Minister said: “Mamata Didi gets bamboozled when Bengal asks her about development and feels scared when Jai Shri Ram slogans are hurled. It isn’t unusual since her government has only institutionalised corruption and politicised government institutions but made no effort to resuscitate Bengal. TMC is a party of extortionists.”

“You even looted the funds sent by the Centre as relief for all those whose lives were devastated by cyclone Amphan,” the Prime Minister charged the Trinamul Congress.He said people expected “mamta” (affection) from Miss Banerjee but got “nirmamta” (cruelty) instead.

Recalling the zest among Bengalis for football, he said: “Trinamul is busy committing foul after foul and it’s about time the people show her the red card.”

He likened the Mamata Banerjee government to a second version of the Left Front government in Bengal and said there has been a “rebirth of communism” under her rule. The indicator, he said, was that politics has been criminalised and administration has been politicised in the state. The state’s politics is the “biggest reason for its condition,” he said.

Referring to the Left – Congress alliance in the state, he said “The Trinamul, Left and the Congress are now busy match fixing behind closed doors. Voting for this alliance is also voting for TMC. Voters must not be fooled by this since Bengal needs ‘Poriborton’ (change). Trinamul turncoats Suvendu Adhikari and Rajib Banerjee today shared the dais with the Prime Minister.

Mr Modi inaugurated a slew of projects today in Haldia, including an LPG import terminal built by Bharat Petroleum at an approximate cost of Rs 1100 crore and which is expected to generate employment of 15 lakh man-days. The second project is Dobhi- Durgapur natural gas pipeline built by GAIL at a cost of Rs 2400 crore, generating employment of 11 lakh man-days. A four lane ROB-cum-flyover at Ranichak built at Rs 190 crore was inaugurated while the PM also laid the foundation stone of the second catalytic iso-dewaxing unit at the Haldia Refinery.