Modi attacks Mamata, Trinamool for using Bangla actors

Asansol, West Bengal, April 23 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took potshots at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for roping in actors from neighbouring Bangladesh to campaign for her party Trinamool Congress in the 2019 polls.

"The condition of Trinamool Congress is so poor that they are not able to bring people to their rallies. So, they have to rope in actors from foreign countries to attract people. I feel pity for you didi (Banerjee), look what the brave people of Bengal have done to you," Modi said at an election rally in West Bengal's Asansol.

Bangladeshi actors Ferdous Ahmed and Gaz Noor were seen campaigning for the Trinamool Congress' Raigunj and Dum Dum candidates, prompting BJP to make a formal complaint with the Election Commission.

Accusing Banerjee of trying to impose her "development model" across the country, Modi claimed that the model is actually dependent upon the "Trinamool Tolabaji (extortion) Tax" and the black money of different mafia.

"Mamata is saying that she wants to give the country her own development model. The development model of 'speed-breaker didi' is based on Trinamool Tolabaji Tax. Her model is dependent on coal mafia, sand mafia, iron mafia and land mafia," Modi said while addressing the rally in support of party candidate and Union Minister Babul Supriyo here.

"Her model is to let infiltrators in the country and then allow them to enjoy the spoils. She also has a development model for the youth where those who have jobs, do not get salary and those who get salary, do not get increments," he alleged.

Renewing his attack on Banerjee's government in the issues of alleged scams and corruption, Modi said Saradha, Rose Valley chit fund cases as well as the Narada sting operation case are not just "scams but are major crimes committed against the poor people".

"When the chief minister of a state openly stands in favour of those who have extorted from the poor, you can understand what the real situation is. She wants evidence of how many terrorists were killed in Pakistan, but she is conspiring to remove all evidences of looting poor's hard-earned money," he said, referring to Banerjee's sit-in demonstration in Kolkata, protesting CBI's attempt to question the then city police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha Ponzy scam case.

Referring to the first two phases of Lok Sabha polls in Bengal, the Prime Minister said the wave in favour of BJP is getting stronger by the day, asserting the people of Bengal have decided to teach Trinamool a lesson for trying to "hijack democracy" from the state.