'Heartbroken' with Bengal's status under Mamata rule, Modi says change 'inevitable' in state
Kolkata (PTI): In a public appeal to West Bengal voters weeks before the declaration of Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he was "heartbroken by the deceit and anguish" faced by the cross-section of the state's citizens under the current Mamata Banerjee regime and vowed to correct it by building a "Viksit Paschim Banga".
Modi said while a political change was "inevitable", a "judicious choice" by voters could align the state with the accelerated development seen in the rest of the country.
In an open letter written in Bengali, which began with the slogan 'Jai Maa Kali', Modi targeted the TMC government on issues ranging from lack of governance and appeasement politics to fake voters, employment deficiency and women's safety.
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The PM also promised citizenship to refugees through the CAA and pledged to stop infiltration through state borders as part of his pre-election promises.
"Bengal used to be the nation's vanguard in both financial and industrial sectors in post-Independence India. It pains me to witness the brittle and sick state it has turned into. It is impossible to describe the irreversible damage which six decades of misgovernance and appeasement politics have caused," Modi said.
"While on the one hand the youth are forced to migrate to other states for lack of employment opportunities, on the other, women of West Bengal are fearful and alarmed due to a lack of security," he added.
Naming Bengal's political and cultural icons such as Swami Vivekananda, Rishi Aurobindo, Subhas Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee at multiple points in his letter, Modi regretted the "darkness of chaos that grips West Bengal" in current times.
"The West Bengal visualised by its iconic forefathers, such as Swami Vivekananda and Rishi Aurobindo, is now riddled with vote bank politics, violence and anarchy. The son of the soil of this state, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, whose call for freedom had once stirred the whole country, that holy land is now blemished with infiltration and torture of women. Fake voters currently dominate Rabindranath Tagore's 'Sonar Bangla'.
"The whole country is worried about the darkness of chaos that West Bengal is sinking into," the PM wrote.
Insisting that the time has come to break the shackles of "silent suffering", the PM said that change is now "inevitable" in Bengal.
"How long should we continue to suffer in silence? Change is now inevitable. The standard of living has remarkably improved in other states. Smiles have returned to the lips of the poor. Ayushman Bharat has provided health cover, new employment is guaranteed for the youth and women's safety is ensured. Bengal too should be part of this growth and development," Modi said.
Stating that he "waited eagerly for a chance to serve the people," the PM quoted Tagore's 'Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high' and promised to bring an end to "corruption and mal-governance".
"We will ensure women's safety, curtail migration for work and restore the state's former glory. Religiously persecuted refugee brothers and sisters who took shelter here would be granted citizenship through CAA and we will establish the rule of law by stopping infiltration," Modi said.
The letter coincided with the Bengal BJP's ongoing house-to-house 'Griha Sampark Abhiyan' during which party leaders will distribute the PM's communication to households during their grassroots outreach programme.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
