Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spared the two Ms, Mamata Banerjee and expelled Trinamul MP Mahua Moitra, in his address at Krishnanagar, leaving state BJP leaders squirming after they had ripped into the duo during their speeches earlier.
Modi’s 27-minute speech at the 20,000-strong rally on the Government College grounds in the Nadia town did not lack firepower.
He accused Trinamul leaders of stealing money meant for the 100-day jobs scheme by issuing over 25 lakh fake job cards. He also briefly mentioned the Sandeshkhali incidents to allege a law-and-order breakdown in Bengal and bemoan the plight of the state’s women.
But unlike his address in Arambagh, Hooghly, on Friday, he did not name the chief minister. Nor did he mention Moitra, who had been one of his biggest critics in Parliament with her fiery speeches on his alleged favouritism towards the Adani group.
Moitra, busy with a slew of programmes across her constituency, was sarcastic when asked to comment on Modi’s visit to her backyard of Krishnanagar.
“I’m flattered that he (Modi) came to my area even before the formal announcement of the election schedule,” she told The Telegraph.
“The last time he came to Krishnanagar was in 2019, and I won by 65,000 votes. At that time he had come during the last phase of the campaigning, but this time he has come in advance. This is a very good omen and I’m confident I shall win by over 1 lakh votes.”
The omission of Mamata’s name, a day after she had called on Modi at the Raj Bhavan and held a one-to-one meeting, was an embarrassment for state BJP leaders, a Bengal unit source said.
“All the state BJP leaders who spoke before the Prime Minister attacked the Bengal chief minister, whom we have been targeting as the biggest beneficiary of all the corruption in the state,” he said.
“But the Prime Minister was silent on her. It will be difficult for us to explain this omission to our rank and file.”
Multiple BJP sources admitted they always felt nervous about any one-to-one meeting between Mamata and Modi as that helps the CPM and the Congress allege a “secret understanding” between the duo.
“That’s why his silence on the Bengal chief minister after the Raj Bhavan meeting cannot be good news for us,” a BJP source said.
Modi’s silence on Moitra too caused surprise.
There had been considerable curiosity about what the Prime Minister would say, particularly since the venue was Krishnanagar, the constituency Moitra represented before being expelled from Parliament on December 8 over allegations of letting outsiders influence the questions she asked in the House.
Those who spoke before Modi, such as state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar and leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, had set the stage by accusing Moitra of offences including graft and hurting Hindu sentiments with her comments on Goddess Kali.
In its official reaction, the state BJP played down Modi’s silence on the two Ms.
Samik Bhattacharya, recently elected BJP Rajya Sabha member, said there was no need to name Mamata for two days running and that whatever the Prime Minister had said at Arambagh was enough to “pin her down” on corruption charges.
“Modiji is aware of his dignity, and given his stature as Prime Minister, he doesn’t need to talk about someone whose guilt has been proved beyond doubt, resulting in her expulsion from Parliament…. She (Moitra) is no longer relevant to Bengal politics,” Bhattacharya said.
A political observer who did not wish to be named said Modi’s decision not to mention Moitra — while the state leaders went after her — was a smart political move.
“The last time, Mahua had won from this seat comfortably. Given the demography of Krishnanagar, where Assembly segments such as Chapra, Nakashipara, Kaliganj and Tehatta have around 50 per cent Muslim voters, Trinamul clearly has an advantage. Going after Mahua would not have made much sense,” the observer said.
The observer, however, did not want to speculate on why Modi had chosen silence on Mamata.
“Let us see what happens on March 6, when he comes to Barasat for another public meeting in the state,” the observer said.
Political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty, however, said the BJP could well dream of winning Krishnanagar as there was precedent: Satyabrata Mookherjee had won the seat and served as a minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government.
Closed-door meet
The Prime Minister had an unscheduled 15-minute meeting behind closed doors with Majumdar and Adhikari after the rally.
“Both leaders requested the Prime Minister to act against a set of IPS and IAS officers who they said were working as de-facto Trinamul leaders,” a senior BJP leader said.