It was West Bengal’s turn for a tête-à-tête with Narendra Modi on Monday as BJP’s Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from the state met the prime minister in his office as part of the series of meetings the latter has been holding with his party’s Members of Parliament.
The discussion primarily revolved around the need for a developed Bengal for a developed India. The prime minister also dwelled on the acrimony between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP, which has expanded its footprint in the state compared to a decade ago.
“The people of Bengal have accepted the BJP and that’s a reality. The people have blessed us. The day is not far when BJP comes to power in Bengal,” PM Modi is said to have told his party MPs.
He stressed that it is important for the people of Bengal to trust that BJP can ensure their development, welfare and prosperity.
PM Modi also told them that the welfare of the people of Bengal was central to his government and any assistance required from the Centre would be made on priority basis.
In 2014, the saffron party got just two Lok Sabha seats out of 42 in the state. However, in 2019, it saw a huge surge in numbers as it reached 18 seats. The fortunes of the party grew further as it won more than 70 assembly constituency seats. This journey is what the prime minister emphasised on in his meeting with the MPs.
However, in 2024, there was a dip in the number of Lok Sabha seats for the saffron party from the eastern state as the numbers came down from 18 to 12. In an effort to change the situation, the big focus of the BJP has revolved around Bengal.
During the Niti Aayog meeting recently, which was attended by Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, there was a face-off with the Centre when she suddenly got up and left after accusing the Centre of not allowing her to speak. However, the government indicated that she was given an opportunity to speak and there was no attempt to scuttle her voice, as was being alleged.
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