Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday took to “nostalgia” ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit here, underscoring her contribution as former railway minister to strengthen Metro services, while her party tore into him after his visit, challenging him to unseat her in the 2026 Assembly polls.
Mamata, who gave the Modi event a miss, wrote on X: “Allow me to be a little nostalgic today. As the Railways Minister of India, I was fortunate in planning and sanctioning series of Metro Railway corridors in metropolitan Kolkata. I had drawn the blueprints, arranged the funds, initiated the works and ensured that the different ends of the city (Joka, Garia, Airport, Sector V, etc) were connected by an intra-city Metro grid.”
“Later, as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, I had the additional privilege of taking part in execution of the projects. From the State, I arranged free land, paved roads, arranged rehabilitation of displaced people, removed impediments, and ensured all help in the execution of projects…,” she said.
Her party, the Trinamool Congress, had made it clear on Thursday that she would skip Modi’s event largely in protest against the BJP’s alleged Bengali-phobia and also, in part, because of “inadequate central recognition” of her contribution to the Metro cause.
CPM recalls Buddha
The CPM, too, staked claim on the credit for the East-West Metro, work for which kicked off around 2009, when the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government was in power.
CPM state secretary Md Salim mocked Mamata over her nostalgia and attacked Modi over the delay in inauguration of the ready project.
“Today, she might feel nostalgic, but the harsh reality is that after Mamata Banerjee became railway minister, she did not allow boring machines to start drilling from Sealdah station and Howrah station ends. Because of Mamata’s stubbornness, selfishness and narrowness, the project got delayed. In disgust, the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government decided to give up the state’s share and it was then that Metro came under the railway ministry,” Salim, who chaired the urban development parliamentary standing committee for the East-West Metro project during the UPA-I government, said.
He slammed the Modi government for delaying the project till now with an eye on the 2026 Bengal polls.
“Narendra Modi is trying to claim credit, and the BJP sees the project as a poll plank. The project was ready for inauguration but it was not inaugurated… because Modi delayed it to showcase it as a success of his government in the run-up to the polls,” he added.
Salim alleged that Modi’s pledge to tackle infiltration through the Demographic Mission was nothing but implementation of a core RSS agenda. “He is not the Prime Minister. He performs the dual role of prime divider and prime pracharak,” Salim said.
Cong praises UPA
Bengal Congress chief spokesperson Soumya Aich Roy claimed that everything Modi sought to take credit for on Friday had been undertaken by UPA governments, flaying the BJP’s “shameless credit-hogging”.
“A truly fascist government that steals votes… they should be answering the real questions on SIR, and this Constitution Amendment Bill, which they won’t be able to pass,” he added. “Those are far more pressing issues, not petty tussles over credit for Metro services.”
Trinamool’s questions
After the Prime Minister’s address, Trinamool asserted that no matter what he or his party did, Mamata would become chief minister for the fourth consecutive term next year.
“The more he comes and says such things (referring to Modi’s demands for change in Bengal), the stronger she gets with the love and blessings of the people…,” said Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh.
Trinamool had, prior to Modi’s arrival, demanded answers to these questions:
What right does the Modi government have to bring the “oppressive” Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill when the BJP’s leaders stand accused of corruption and the Centre has allegedly misused central agencies to corner opponents?
If the 2024 Lok Sabha election was held based on an illegitimate electoral roll, what right does Modi have to continue in power?
Why is there no condemnation from Modi on the “saffron persecution” of Bengali-speaking Indians and no answers on “forcibly sending” them to Bangladesh?
Why did Modi come “empty-handed” on central dues to Bengal worth ₹1.93 lakh crore?
“No answers. From a glass house, he threw stones at others,” said Ghosh.