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Low visibility prevents PM’s helicopter from landing in Taherpur, Modi returns to Kolkata airport
People need freedom from the mahajungle-raj in West Bengal, says PM Modi
Highlighting the victory of National Democratic Alliance in the recently concluded Assembly polls in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (December 20, 2025) said that now people of West Bengal need freedom from the mahajungle-raj prevailing here
“Last month the people of Bihar gave a huge mandate to the NDA. After the victory in Bihar, I had said that Ganga flows from Bihar to Bengal. Bihar had rejected jungle-raj for 20 years...now people of West Bengal need freedom from the mahajungle-raj prevailing here,” Mr. Modi said while virtually addressing the rally at Taherpur.
Thousands had gathered at Taherpur for Mr. Modi's rally, but the helicopter in which the Prime Minister was travelling could not land at the venue due to dense fog. The Prime Minister in his virtual address over telephone apologised to the people gathered at the rally venue saying that bad weather prevented him from being in their midst.
Accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of protecting ‘ illegal infiltrators', the Prime Minister said that Trinamool raises slogans of “Go Back Modi” but remains silent when it comes to “illegal infiltrators”. Posters with “Go Back Modi” had come up in areas surrounding Taherpur. “Infiltrators enjoy TMC patronage in Bengal. Trinamool Congress is opposing SIR to save infiltrators from getting identified,” Mr. Modi said.
The Prime Minister claimed that the Trinamool Congress Government was posing challenges to the development of the State and people are desperately seeking a “double -engine government”. “Let the Trinamool oppose me and BJP as much as it wants, but the ruling party cannot hold people to ransom, make them suffer and stop Bengal's progress,” Mr. Modi said.
Mr. Modi also raised the slogan of “Bachte Chai, BJP Tai' (To survive, we need BJP), which he had raised during his rally at Dum Dum in Kolkata on August 23, earlier this year. The slogan “Bachte Chai, BJP Tai” is the party slogan for next year's Assembly polls. This was the fourth political meeting of the Prime Minister in West Bengal this year after the first after NDA victory in Bihar.
The rally was strategically organised at W.B. BJP leadership at Taherpur in Nadia, an area with a significant population of Matuaa, a community of Hindu namasudras who have migrated from Bangladesh. After the first phase of SIR in West Bengal, Matuas who have supported the BJP in the past elections, have faced maximum deletions from the voter list. The Union Government's attempts to provide them citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has actually not worked on the ground.
While the Prime Minister touched upon the contributions of Harichand Thakur and Guruchand Thakur, the founders of the Matua sect during his brief 15 minutes address, he could not allay the fears among the community. The Trinamool Congress leadership claimed that the Prime Minister could not address the concerns of the community relating to SIR and citizenship. The Prime Minister, however, assured that he would visit the state again soon and will address the people.
During his brief speech Mr. Modi made reference to ‘Rishi Bankim Babu' for penning ‘Vande Mataram' and said the country was celebrating 150 years of the national song. “In the 19 th century Vande Mataram was the mantra for freedom against servitude and in the 21st century it has become the mantra for development of the nation. Vande Mataram is the mantra for Vikshit Bharat,” he said.
Published - December 20, 2025 12:57 pm IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi / West Bengal
Source: TheHindu
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