Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated two national highway projects worth Rs 3,200 crore in West Bengal’s Nadia district, a move aimed at improving regional connectivity and cutting travel time.
The visit also carried political significance ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, with the Prime Minister strongly criticising the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government and urging voters to support the BJP.
Among the projects inaugurated was the 66.7-km four-laning of the Barajaguli-Krishnanagar section of National Highway-34 in Nadia district, along with the four-laning of the 17.6-km Barasat-Barajaguli section of NH-34 in North 24 Parganas district. Together, these stretches are expected to act as a crucial link between Kolkata and Siliguri.
According to the government, the projects will reduce travel time by around two hours, lower vehicle operating costs and significantly improve connectivity between Kolkata and neighbouring districts of West Bengal, as well as with neighbouring countries. The improved road infrastructure is also expected to boost economic activity and provide momentum to tourism across the region.
Addressing a gathering virtually in Nadia district, Modi launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress, describing the prevailing situation in the state as “maha jungle raj”. He alleged that corruption, nepotism and appeasement politics under the ruling dispensation had stalled development in West Bengal.
Speaking at the Parivartan Sankalpa Sabha, the fourth such meeting in Bengal this year, Modi urged voters to give the BJP an opportunity to form a “double engine government” in the state. He said that while the TMC may oppose him and the BJP, the ruling party could not “hold people to ransom, make them suffer and stop Bengal’s progress”.
The Prime Minister also accused the Mamata Banerjee-led party of opposing the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to prevent the identification of infiltrators. Claiming that there was growing public sentiment against the TMC’s rule, he said that voices across the state were calling for change, referring to the slogan “Banchte chai, BJP tai” (Need BJP to live).
Modi’s visit comes amid heightened political tensions over the SIR exercise in West Bengal. The Trinamool Congress has strongly opposed the revision, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleging that it is being conducted in haste and could lead to the disenfranchisement of a large number of genuine voters, particularly refugee Hindus.
According to the draft electoral rolls published after the enumeration phase, 58,20,899 names have been excluded, reducing the total electorate in the state to 7.08 crore. The Election Commission has flagged around 1.36 crore entries for “logical discrepancies”, while nearly 30 lakh voters have been categorised as unmapped.
The exercise has triggered fresh anxiety among the Matua community, a Dalit Hindu group that migrated from Bangladesh over decades due to religious persecution. In recent years, electoral trends have indicated that the BJP has made significant inroads among the community by promising formal Indian citizenship.
BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar, who represents the Ranaghat Lok Sabha constituency where Taherpur is located, said fears were being deliberately spread among the Matuas regarding the SIR process. He expressed hope that the Prime Minister’s message would help dispel such concerns.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already led anti-SIR rallies in Nadia and North 24 Parganas districts, both of which border Bangladesh and have a sizeable Matua population.