Trinamul counters PM Modi’s allegations with its own questions
The Statesman | 30 May 2025
In a sharp rebuttal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks made in Alipurduar, the Trinamul Congress (TMC) has launched a counter-offensive, challenging the BJP’s claims with a barrage of pointed questions and criticisms.
During his address, the Prime Minister had highlighted five areas of concern—law and order, women’s safety, youth disillusionment, corruption, and what he termed a “selfish” state government. However, Trinamul leaders were quick to respond, accusing the Modi government of presiding over national failures in the very areas he sought to critique.
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Responding to the PM’s reference to law and order, the TMC cited the ongoing crisis in Manipur. “Manipur has been burning for two years. Fix your mess first,” the party posted on its social media handle. On the issue of women’s safety, they pointed to incidents such as those in Unnao and Hathras, accusing the BJP of a “track record soaked in silence and shame”.
Addressing the Prime Minister’s comments on youth hopelessness, Trinamul leaders listed paper leaks, the NEET examination scam, and a reported 45% unemployment rate as indicators of a “national gift to students” under BJP rule.
The party didn’t hold back on corruption allegations either, claiming that “half your Cabinet is out on bail”, adding that “irony died a slow death”. As for accusations of selfish governance, the TMC lambasted the Centre for allegedly withholding MGNREGA and Awas Yojana funds from Bengal due to “vendetta politics”.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale described Mr Modi’s visit to Bengal as politically opportunistic. “The migratory bird is flying to Bengal today as elections are next year,” he quipped, alleging that over ₹1.7 lakh crore owed to Bengal has been “withheld” by the Centre since the TMC defeated the BJP in the 2021 Assembly elections.
“DA stands for National Deprivation Alliance,” Gokhale added, referring to what he characterised as the deprivation of Bengal at the hands of the Union government. He praised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for providing relief to the people using state funds despite the alleged financial blockades from Delhi.
Meanwhile, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh challenged the Prime Minister to answer two specific questions during his visit:
1. When will the Centre release the pending dues to Bengal?
2. When will a White Paper, as demanded by TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee, be published detailing funds provided to Bengal under MNREGA and Awas Yojana since 2021?
“Modi’s teleprompter will not have the answers to these questions,” Ghosh asserted, predicting another “humiliating defeat” for the BJP in Bengal in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Earlier in the day, the official TMC account on X posted a message directed at the PM, asking: “Why is he coming to Bengal to indulge in narrow politics while Abhishek Banerjee, representing India on a global stage, is addressing the issue of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism?”
They concluded with a reminder: “Bengal is owed ₹1.7 lakh crore—why has he come empty-handed yet again? Does he have nothing to offer except false promises and political drama?”