The rally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday in West Bengal’s Barasat town was a keenly awaited one. The focus was on women, especially those in Bengal.
The PM referred to the various achievements of his government and underscored women’s empowerment. But he also struck a different note with the people of West Bengal, particularly the women, as every crucial message that he wanted to convey was also spoken by him in Bangla.
While mentioning the targets of 370 seats for the Bharatiya Janata Party and 400 for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Lok Sabha elections, Modi said in Bangla, “Ei baar 400 paar", drawing a huge response from the crowd.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the alleged atrocities against women under the state’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) government. Women are a strong force, he said, and then, comparing this strength and valour to that of Goddess Durga, the PM said, “Banglar maa aar bonera aamar jonno Maa Durga hoye saamne daray (The mothers and sisters of Bengal stand up in my defence like Maa Durga)." This remark received a joyous response from the crowd.
The Prime Minister also took a dig at the opposition, after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav at a recent rally said that while Modi attacks “Parivarvad" (dynastic politics), he himself has no family. Following this, the PM declared that the whole country was his family, while the BJP launched a campaign with its top leaders and supporters suffixing “Modi Ka Parivar" (Modi’s family) to their social media usernames.
In Barasat, the Prime Minister said that all the opposition parties were hurling abuses at him. They have been asking where his family is, he said. Addressing the women gathered at the rally once again, PM Modi said, “Banglar maa-bonera aamar poribar (the mothers and sisters of Bengal are my family)".
While the Prime Minister kicks off many of his rallies with chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and “Jai Shri Ram", as he was in Bengal, he began his speech with slogans of “Jai Maa Durga" and “Jai Maa Kali".
The 2021 West Bengal assembly elections saw a bitter battle between the TMC and BJP. While the saffron party managed to significantly improve its tally, chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool strongly branded the BJP “bohiragato" (outsiders). The TMC took the message to the people that the BJP came from Delhi and did not know anything about Bengal’s culture or language. BJP leaders say the Prime Minister’s Barasat rally and his use of Bangla on at least 20 occasions should put the argument to rest.
Having won only two seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, the BJP put up a stunning performance in 2019, bagging 18 seats. With just a few weeks to go for the next elections, union home minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah has set a target of 35 out of the state’s 42 seats for the party. And the BJP is relying on the star power and magic of its top campaigner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to conquer Bengal.
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