PM Narendra Modi visits north Bengal, targets Mamata Banerjee over her 'dharna'

It is just months away when the country is gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls and Modi visited the east Indian state to address the rally and said: "I have a special relationship with North Bengal. The relationship of tea. You grow tea, I used to make tea."

He said: "It is evident that the Congress and Trinamool do not care about the people. The governments do not understand how many problems poor people face for even small cases."

He said his government is working for the benefits of the poor.

"Our government is providing all benefits to the poor which was beyond their reach earlier. Our government is running Jeevan Jyoti and Suraksha Bima schemes for the poor. It is useful for the poor in times of adversity," Modi said.

Highlighting his government's programmes, Modi said: "The Central government has introduced Rs 3,000 per month pension after 60 years of age for labourers in the informal sector. Those who earn less than 15,000 per month, can get benefit of the scheme."

Attacking West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, he said: "She has made violence political culture of Bengal. The government is of Didi, but the real decisions are taken by goons and middlemen."

"Didi is anxious to get to Delhi, while the poor of Bengal are left to deal with the Syndicate," he said.

Modi asked the people that the 'era of violence in Bengal' should end.

Attacking Mamata Banerjee on her dharna, Modi said she sat on a sit-in protest to save people who 'looted' poor persons' of the country.

"It is seen for the first time that the CM of a state has sat on a dharna to protect those who have looted the poor," Modi said.

Mamata Banerjee sat on a dharna for over 40 hours this week from Sunday night till Tuesday evening.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday sent a notice to Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar asking him to appear before the investigators on Saturday (Feb 9) for interrogation in connection with its ongoing Supreme Court mandated probe into chit fund scams, officials said.

According to sources, besides constituting a special team, the Central probe agency is currently preparing a questionnaire to interrogate the Kolkata top cop.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had ordered that Rajeev Kumar to appear before the CBI in the Sarada chit fund scam case, media reports said.

The court had said no coercive action would be taken against Kumar.

Image: BJP Bengal Twitter page