'Nowhere to run for TMC goons after Bengal election results,' says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (April 24) warned the Trinamool Congress (TMC) that after the election results are declared on May 4 in West Bengal, their “goons” would be left with no place to hide in the state and there would be no one to save them. The remarks come a day after West Bengal recorded a staggering 92.88 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of the Assembly elections.

PM Modi, addressing a public rally in Dum Dum in West Bengal’s North 24 Paraganas district, further stated that the massive turnout had signalled the end of TMC’s “maha jungle raj.”

‘Files will be opened’

He asserted that when the BJP comes to power in the State on May 4, every file related to injustice and atrocities inflicted on the people would be opened.

“I repeat, the files will be opened, and this is Modi’s guarantee,” said PM Modi.

Also Read: Amit Shah predicts BJP win in Bengal, says high turnout signals Mamata’s exit

"Last night, TMC was empowering their goons all night long. I say to the people of Bengal, BJP workers, and the public: Do not forget that this is the land of revolution, this is the land of the brave... After the results come on May 4, the TMC's goons will find no place to hide, no one to save them. Yesterday's first-phase voting has sounded the death knell for the TMC's reign of jungle rule," he added as quoted by India Today.

Turnout framed as democratic mandate

Referring to the higher turnout for the first phase in Bengal, the Prime Minister further stated that it was a victory for democracy, which reflected public faith in the electoral process.

Also Read: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu record highest-ever voter turnout since Independence

The Prime Minister further stated that the high voter turnout in the ongoing elections had unsettled his opponents, arguing that the scale of participation reflected what he described as a clear appetite for political change among the public.

Claim of ‘wave of change’

"I congratulate the people of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The polling in the first phase of elections in Bengal has confirmed the wave of change which we have been seeing in Bengal. The support we saw for the BJP yesterday signals the victory of the BJP," he said.

Pointing to turnout figures from the first phase in West Bengal, the Prime Minister and described it as the highest recorded in the state since Independence. The phase was conducted across 152 constituencies spanning 16 districts.

Middle-class focus and tax pitch

He added that a BJP-led government in the state would place emphasis on middle-class welfare, referencing policy decisions taken at the Centre in recent years. Drawing a comparison with the pre-2014 period, when the Union government had TMC’s support, he said tax burdens had since been eased.

Also Read: Who holds the edge in TN and West Bengal elections amid high turnout? | Capital Beat

"To make the life of the middle class easier, the central government has taken numerous decisions over the past 11 years. Before 2014, when the government in Delhi was run with the support of TMC, the central government used to impose tax on annual income up to Rs 2 lakh... We have made zero tax on annual income up to Rs 12 lakh," he said.