Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of shielding “ghuspethiyas” (infiltrators), alleging that the party’s opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal was driven by its attempt to protect illegal immigrants.
Addressing a rally virtually from Kolkata after dense fog prevented his helicopter from landing at the Taherpur helipad in Nadia district, Modi said the Trinamool was deliberately obstructing Bengal’s development for political reasons. The helicopter reportedly hovered over the helipad for some time before returning to the Kolkata airport due to poor visibility.
The Prime Minister began by apologising to those who had gathered at Taherpur for not being able to reach the venue in person. “Let the TMC attack me as much as it wants, but I urge them not to obstruct the development and progress of Bengal,” Modi said in his virtual address. “I request the people of West Bengal to give the BJP a chance to form a double-engine government in the state. You will then see how swiftly we ensure growth and development in Bengal.”
He alleged that while the BJP was making a “sincere effort” to push development, the ruling party was busy hatching conspiracies. “The TMC is doing everything in its power to protect ‘ghuspethiyas’,” Modi said. “Whenever the BJP raises questions about infiltration, TMC leaders resort to verbal abuse.”
Referring to posters critical of him, Modi added, “Just a while ago, I saw on social media that some people had put up boards saying ‘Go Back Modi’. It would have been better if, in every lane and bylane, in every nook and corner, they had written ‘Go Back Ghuspethiye’.”
“The illegal immigrants who want to take over Bengal are the favourites of the TMC. That is the party’s real face,” he said, accusing the ruling dispensation of opposing the SIR exercise solely to shield illegal immigrants.
The Prime Minister also claimed that development projects in the state were suffering due to the alleged indifference of the Mamata Banerjee-led government. “Let Trinamool oppose me and the BJP as much as it wants, but Bengal’s progress should not be stopped,” he said.
The Prime Minister had arrived in Kolkata earlier in the day and was scheduled to travel by helicopter to Taherpur, where he was to launch highway projects and then address a BJP rally titled Parivartan Sankalpa Sabha. Two separate stages had been set up, one for the inauguration of government projects and another for the political programme.
The Taherpur event was expected to mark the formal launch of the BJP’s campaign for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, with a particular focus on the citizenship issue concerning the Matua community and the party’s attack on the Trinamool over alleged illegal immigration.
