PM to inaugurate projects, address rally in Singur on second day of Bengal visit
Kolkata (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resume his two-day visit to West Bengal on Sunday, making a fresh poll pitch from the site of the abandoned Tata Nano car plant in Singur, amid a highly charged political atmosphere in the state ahead of the crucial assembly elections.
On his return to the state after an overnight stay in Assam, Modi is scheduled to inaugurate, lay the foundation stone and flag off various development projects worth over Rs 830 crore at Singur in Hooghly district, besides addressing a rally, where he is expected to sharpen the party’s narrative on industrialisation in Bengal.
The selection of Singur, observers feel, was made on account of its symbolic importance, where a violent anti-land grab movement nearly two decades ago spearheaded by Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, then in the opposition, against the erstwhile Left Front government, had forced Ratan Tata to pull the plug on the project and relocate it to Gujarat.
The BJP has promised to "bring the Tatas back to Singur" if voted to power, projecting the exit of the car project as a missed economic opportunity and a symbol of industrial stagnation under the TMC.
BJP leaders in Bengal hope Modi's Singur address will outline a broader vision for attracting big-ticket investments in Bengal, leveraging the enduring perception that the state has remained industry-starved since Tata Motors pulled out.
During the day, the PM is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the Extended Port Gate System at Balagarh, aimed at boosting inland water transport and regional connectivity.
“The Balagarh project aims to significantly improve cargo evacuation efficiency by diverting heavy cargo movement away from congested urban corridors. This will enhance road safety, reduce vehicular congestion and pollution in Kolkata city, and contribute to an improved quality of life for residents,” a note from the PMO stated.
To support urban river mobility, eco-tourism and last-mile passenger connectivity along the Hooghly River, Modi will launch a state-of-the-art 50-passenger electric catamaran in Kolkata, which is one of the six such vessels indigenously built for inland water transport by the Cochin Shipyard Ltd.
The Prime Minister will also flag off three Amrit Bharat trains from Singur, connecting Kolkata to Delhi, Banaras and Chennai, strengthening the rail connectivity of West Bengal with other states.
On Saturday, Modi launched a slew of rail and road infrastructure projects for the state from Malda, and flagged off the first set of Vande Bharat sleeper trains between Howrah and Guwahati.
Addressing a public rally from the same venue, he made infiltration the central plank of his offensive against the TMC government, alleging that large-scale illegal migration has altered the state's demography, fuelled riots, and thrived due to the ruling party's "patronage and syndicate raj".
The elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly are due in the next few months.
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US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
