Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has strongly criticised the TMC government in West Bengal, citing industrial decline, cultural disrespect, and misgovernance as key issues during an election meeting in Kolkata.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said over 7,000 large industries were shut during TMC rule in West Bengal and claimed that the state, once a leader in multiple sectors, has slipped to the bottom.
Addressing an election meeting at Burrabazar here, the senior BJP leader referred to the ancestral residence of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in Jorasanko locality in Burrabazar and accused the TMC of failing to accord due importance to its heritage status.
"Bengal, which was once a beacon of knowledge, has now witnessed the closure of 7,000 big industries, thousands of MSME units, and loss of jobs for 30 lakh youths," he said.
Alleging that "TMC goondas" had put up images of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Tagore's ancestral house, where the poet spent much of his life and created numerous literary works, Adityanath said the act amounted to an insult.
"Ideally, apart from Tagore, only the idol of Bharat Mata should have been placed there. But TMC does not give due respect to Bharat Mata as it has no love for Bharatiya 'sanskriti'. It is a shame that TMC has brought Bengal, a forerunner of the Renaissance, to such a pass," he said.
Adityanath said to "restore the lost glory of West Bengal" on the 150th year of the composition of Vande Mataram, the TMC government should be dislodged, and the BJP brought to power.
"What has the TMC done to honour the memory of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay? It became the Azadi mantra," he added.
Alleging decades of misgovernance under the Congress, the CPI(M) and the TMC, Adityanath claimed the state had turned into a "graveyard of industries" and said only a "double-engine government" could restore its past prominence.
Alleging that a senior TMC minister and Firhad Hakim had spoken in favour of spreading Urdu, he said Bengali identity could not be compromised.
"Bengali will remain the language of Kolkata and Bengal. Bengali 'ashmita' cannot be hurt by minority-appeasing TMC leaders," he said.
The Uttar Pradesh CM also alleged that the TMC government was imposing curbs on religious processions.
"Bengal is known for the worship of Maa Kali, but TMC is putting curbs on Kali and Durga processions and imposing prohibitory orders in many areas," he said.
"Mamata didi has an allergy to the name of Lord Ram and opposed the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Do you want a government that is not in sync with our centuries-old emotional attachment to Bhagwan Ram?" he asked.