Prime Minister Narendra Modi blew the poll bugle in West Bengal, with his first election rally in the poll-bound state on February 7. The prime target of Modi's political attack was Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, whom he accused of giving communism a "rebirth" in the state.
"In the first year of Mamata government, it became clear that what Bengal had got was not 'parivartan (change)' but rebirth of Left and that too with interest," Modi said at the rally in Purba Medinipur's Haldia.
"Revival of Left meant revival of corruption, crime, violence, and attacks on democracy," he added, while accusing the CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Congress of being "hand-in-glove" with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
"We heard of match-fixing in sports. In Bengal, there is match-fixing in politics. The Trinamool and Left are showing a fake contest among themselves," he said.
"While our fight is directly against the Trinamool, we should not forget its two friends - the Congress and the Left," the Prime Minister, who is spearheading the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) campaign, added.
Modi also asked the Left and the Congress - who have inked a pre-poll alliance in Bengal to explain why they were contesting against each other in Kerala. "They have a deal to loot Kerala for five years each," he said.
The BJP, claimed Modi, is the only political entity that can "save the Bengali culture, provide good governance, end corruption and lead the state into an era of prosperity".
Modi accused Mamata of showing intolerance towards dissent. "In Bengal, if you ask Didi (Mamata Banerjee) about your right then she gets frustrated. She even gets annoyed if slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' are raised," he remarked.
The Prime Minister said Mamata should explain the reason behind "blocking" the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme in Bengal. Over 25 lakh farmers in the state wanted to claim benefits of the scheme, he claimed.
Modi's attack also included a reference towards the Centre's handling of the coronavirus crisis. The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is still underway, and "we have two made-in-India vaccines" to strengthen the country's efforts, he added.
Apart from addressing the electoral rally, Modi was also scheduled to inaugurate four projects worth Rs 4,700 crore in the oil and gas sector in Haldia.
The forthcoming assembly polls in West Bengal are expected in April-May. The BJP has set an ambitious target of winning more than 200 seats in the 294-member assembly.
Before heading to Bengal, Modi visited Assam, which is also slated to go to polls in the upcoming elections. He laid the foundation stones for two medical colleges, to be built at a cost of Rs 1,100 crore, in Biswanath and Charaideo.