‘What Modi does in Delhi, Mamata does in Bengal’: Rahul says CM ‘opening the road’ for BJP

Noting that he is out on bail at present, Gandhi said, “My house was taken away, my Lok Sabha membership was taken away, there are 36 cases against me. I travel to states like Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Bihar every 10-15 days to fight the cases registered against me. I want to ask how many cases have been registered against Banerjee by Narendra Modi?”

Claiming that PM Modi steps up his attack on CM Banerjee only during the state elections, Gandhi said, “Let the Bengal elections end, Modi will not speak a word against Banerjee. He knows only the Congress can defeat the BJP and RSS and their ideology, not the TMC.”

Alleging that Banerjee did not do anything for the welfare and income generation of the people, the Raebareli MP pointed to the closed Hindustan Motors factory in nearby Hindmotor.

“Bengal used to be the centre of industry in the country, but first the Left Front and then the TMC destroyed everything,” he said.

“If Narendra Modi indulges in corruption, then Mamata Banerjee is also not far behind,” Gandhi claimed.

He said that it was during the TMC government that the Saradha and Rose Valley ponzi scams involving thousands of crores of rupees took place, and alleged that coal smuggling and illegal mining take place under the TMC rule state and that “goonda tax” is imposed on every activity in Bengal.

“Mamata Banerjee is opening the road for the BJP in Bengal,” Gandhi said, claiming that had she worked for the people’s interests, the BJP would not have been able to make inroads in the state.

Speaking at a separate rally at Kolkata’s Shaheed Minar in support of 55 Congress candidates, Gandhi alleged that CM Banerjee is functioning in the state exactly the same way PM Modi is functioning in Delhi.

“Mamata Banerjee is doing the exact things in Bengal that PM Narendra Modi is doing in Delhi,” Gandhi said.

Questioning the TMC government over unemployment, Gandhi said, “”Mamata Banerjee had promised five lakh jobs in 2021, but has anyone got employment?” he asked, maintaining that 84 lakh youths have applied for unemployment allowance in Bengal.

He also drew a direct parallel to 2014, alleging PM Modi had promised two crore jobs to the nation’s youth but failed to deliver.

“One has to have a relative in the TMC to get a job in Bengal, else he will not get any,” he said.

He also alleged that atrocities on women have risen under the TMC rule, pointing to the rape and murder of the doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in 2024.

At another meeting in Metiaburuz, Gandhi brought up the relationship between PM Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump, claiming that Trump holds influence over the Prime Minister due to the “Epstein Files”. He also questioned why PM Modi avoided the issue when it was raised in the Lok Sabha.

Hitting back at Gandhi, Bengal minister Shashi Panja termed his remarks “irresponsible”, stating that TMC leaders are still receiving ED notices even during the elections.

She also questioned the Congress’s commitment to stopping the BJP, suggesting that if Congress had been effective, the BJP would not have won recent elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Bihar.