Prime Minister Narendra Modi has slammed Mamata Banerjee-led TMC once again, stating that the party was fighting for its existence in West Bengal. Expressing confidence that the party will make significant gains in the state, the Prime Minister said the elections were "one-sided" in the state.
"In Bengal elections, TMCis fighting for existence. You must have seen it in the last Assembly elections, we had three seats. The people of Bengal took us from three to 80. We got a lot of support in the Lok Sabha in the last elections. This time, the best-performing state in India is going to be West Bengal. BJP is getting most success in West Bengal," the Prime Minister told ANI in an exclusive interview.
In the 2019 elections, the BJP made significant gains in the state, winning 18 seats while the ruling TMC's run ended with 22 seats.
He took a dig at TMC, saying the party was panicked seeing the public support for the BJP in West Bengal. "There are constant murders and attacks. The BJP workers are being locked in jails before the elections. Despite all these atrocities, the public is coming out in large numbers to vote," PM Modi added.
On the Calcutta High Court's order cancelling all OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010, the Prime Minister said the TMC was "abusing judiciary" by stating that they won't accept the HC verdict.
He slammed Congress for giving religion-based reservations, which are not allowed in the Constitution. "They have a modus operandi. First, they gave it to the minorities by making a law in Andhra Pradesh, which they lost in the courts since it was unconstitutional. So, they cleverly started a backdoor game, making the community OBCs, thereby robbing the OBCs of their rights. When the High Court's judgement came, the fraud became clear. But what is even more unfortunate is that for vote-bank politics, now they are also abusing the judiciary," he said.
On Odisha, the Prime Minister opened up about his relationship with BJD supremo and chief minister Naveen Patnaik, stating that he was willing to sacrifice his friendship for the welfare of Odisha.
Explaining his decision to not align with BJD, despite the warm relations shared by both parties, Modi said he had no enmity with anyone. "We have good relations with the leaders of all the political parties of India. In a democracy, we do not have enmity. Now the question is whether I should maintain my relations or worry about the fate of Odisha. I chose to devote myself to the bright future of Odisha and if I have to sacrifice my relations for that, I will do that. After the elections, I will convince everyone that I have no enmity with anyone," he said.
The Prime Minister lamented that there has been no progress for the past 35 years in Odisha. Stating that a group has taken over the Odisha system, he said: " The biggest concern is that a toli (group) has taken over the entire Odisha system. It seems the whole system has been taken hostage. It is very natural that if Odisha comes out of it, then it will flourish," PM Modi added.
"Odisha has so many natural resources. It is sad to see the poor people of such a prosperous state. The government is responsible for this. That is why the people of Odisha should get their rights. Odisha should get its identity," he added.
