‘Mothers, sisters living in fear’: PM Modi writes to people of Bengal ahead of polls

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday wrote a letter to the voters of West Bengal ahead of the Assembly elections in the state, saying he was “heartbroken” about what he described as the state's present condition.

In his letter, the Prime Minister accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of “extreme non-cooperation” and said the state's destiny would be decided in a few months.




Beginning the letter with “Joy Maa Kali,” PM Modi wrote: “Just a few months remain, after which the destiny of West Bengal will be decided. The responsibility of determining the path of the next generation’s future rests upon your thoughtful decision. The people of my dream ‘Sonar Bangla,’ young and old alike, are today victims of deep deprivation. My heart is heavy with their suffering. Therefore, from the depths of my being, I have taken one resolve — the resolve to make West Bengal developed and prosperous.”

"Just a few months remain, after which the destiny of West Bengal will be decided. The responsibility of determining the path of the next generation’s future rests upon your thoughtful decision. The people of my dream, “Sonar Bangla,” young and old alike, are today victims of deep deprivation. My heart is heavy with their suffering. Therefore, from the depths of my being, I have taken one resolve — the resolve to make West Bengal developed and prosperous," he added.

“Despite the state government’s extreme non-cooperation and hostility, today 50 million people in West Bengal have been brought into the banking system through the Jan-Dhan Yojana. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, we have enabled the construction of 8.5 million toilets in the state. While the ruling party deprives the poor of their basic sustenance, we have extended a helping hand to small traders and entrepreneurs through loans worth Rs 2.82 lakh crore. Through the Atal Pension Yojana, we have helped 5.6 million senior citizens achieve financial security in old age. Under the Ujjwala Yojana, we have delivered cooking gas connections to more than 10 million families, freeing mothers and sisters from the hardships of smoke-filled kitchens. At a time when the very providers of food struggle for survival, we consider ourselves fortunate to have supported more than 5.2 million farmers directly through the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme,” the letter further read.

If the Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power in West Bengal, PM Modi claimed it would build a state where women feel secure, where young people need not leave home for work, and where Bengali culture regains its glory.

“My humble appeal to the people of West Bengal: join this journey of development. I eagerly await an opportunity to serve you — an opportunity to build a state where, in Gurudev’s words, ‘the mind is without fear and the head is held high.’ A West Bengal free from corruption and misrule,” the letter said.

“A West Bengal where women feel secure, where young people need not leave home for work, where Bengali culture regains its glory. Our refugee brothers and sisters, victims of religious persecution, will gain citizenship through the CAA, and a governance free from illegal infiltration will be established,” he added.
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