Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took on the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, saying the State was being run by government-sponsored “syndicates”, and also accused it of throttling democracy in the State.

Addressing farmers at a ‘Kisan Kalyan Rally’ in West Midnapore district, 140 km from Kolkata, the Prime Minister attacked the State’s Trinamool Congress dispensation for unleashing a reign of terror and claimed the “syndicate” of ‘ ma - maati - manush ’ — a term coined by Banerjee which translates to mean ‘mother, motherland, and people’ — stands “exposed”.

The State has, of late, come under the influence of syndicates, which loosely signifies groups of political workers with clout and access, and the power to extort money.

Such groups have been active in the real estate and construction sectors, determining the procurement prices of raw materials, and even its suppliers. These have recently also become active in colleges, allegedly intervening in the admission processes and collecting money.

Similarly, middlemen have been a pain point for the farm sector: they procure produce from farmers at low prices and sell them at higher rates.

“It has become impossible to do anything in West Bengal without the syndicate’s permission. Everything is decided by the syndicate — where farmers will sell their produce; how much of it they can sell; and who can get admissions to colleges,” the PM said during the rally.

He claimed that Bengal’s farmers had hardly benefited from Banerjee’s rule. Also, there had been no marketing of farm produce or any focus on their storage, the PM claimed.

Modi said his BJP-led government at the Centre had been working towards doubling farmers’ income by 2022.

“My government is your government. It is a government of farmers. Our government worked for farmers... from ensuring quality seeds to market to ensuring supply of urea,” the PM added.

Bringing change to Bengal

Urging the people of Bengal to “think as one”, Modi referred to Tripura, where people had united to supplant the Left from power.

In Bengal, too, he said, the people had risen to oust the Left, but the Trinamool Congress that came in its place is even worse, he said.

Modi accused the Banerjee government of throttling democracy, and accused it of having a complete disregard for democratic values. Political opponents were being silenced, too.

“The people of Bengal used (the) power of democracy to get rid of communism. Now, within months, Bengal is going to be free. Bengal is waiting for an opportunity. For a prosperous future, I request people here to think as one and not get divided,” Modi said.

TMC hits back

Hitting back at Modi, the Trinamool accused him of spreading “misinformation” and alleged that the BJP was running a syndicate that “peddles religious terrorism”.

A Trinamool statement jointly issued by party Secretary-General Partha Chatterjee and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’ Brien warned the BJP leaders “not to play with fire”. The party accused the BJP of running a “syndicate” of “lynching”.

“Who knows better than the BJP leaders about syndicate? Your party is a syndicate that peddles religious extremism. Your party is a syndicate for fanatics. Your party is a lynching syndicate. Your party is a torture syndicate. Your party is a syndicate for agencies. Your party is a syndicate which created notebandi (demonetisation). Your party is a syndicate of corruption, ” the statement said.

The TMC claimed the BJP leaders do not have a development agenda.

“Try as you may to harass us with your agencies, we will not bow down to any BJP syndicate. Bengal is for all. It is the cultural capital of the world. The BJP leaders speech proved that they have no development agenda at all,” the statement said.

Countering the allegations of farmers suicide in Bengal as “completely baseless”, the statement cited a Parliamentary report on farmer suicide across the country where the figure in Bengal was zero.

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