Kandi (Murshidabad): Union minister Smriti Irani came here on Tuesday, three days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Berhampore rally, leaving indications that the BJP wasn’t going to give Trinamool Congress and Sanyukta Morcha candidates a walkover in at least the three assembly seats of Berhampore, Kandi and Murshidabad.
Irani’s narrative at the Kandi rally sounded different than usual, with more emphasis on development and an attempt to rub out the “mushalman birodhi (anti-Muslim)” label on BJP. Kandi assembly seat in Murshidabad has a substantial Hindu population apart from heavy minority presence
“When PM Modi opened Jan Dhan bank accounts for you, did the banks ask you which religion you belong to? The PM has also planned to provide piped water to every household regardless of whether it belongs to a Hindu or a Muslim,” the Union minister said.
Aware of Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s traction among women, Irani trumped the CM’s support to poor families for getting their daughters married by making a similar promise. “Give Bengal a BJP government and we will give poor households a one-time Rs 1-lakh aid to marry off daughters once they turn 18,” Irani said.
On the demand for a college in Kandi, the minister said: “How many times in the past 10 years have you pleaded with Didi to set up a college here? It didn’t happen. Vote us to office and we will set up a college here. The PM has arranged for Rs 10,000 crore to set up colleges and polytechnics across the state. Once we come to office, the government will set up 100 new colleges and 50 new polytechnics in Bengal.”