The Prime Minister said the reaction to the election result showed the unity of the country and the emotional connection people across states shared with Bengal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting in Jamnagar, Gujarat. (IMAGE: PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said people across the country felt a sense of relief after the BJP’s sweeping victory in the West Bengal assembly elections, asserting that the poll outcome had drawn global attention.
The BJP put up a stunning performance in the West Bengal polls, results of which were announced on May 4, winning 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, in the process ending the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress under Mamata Banerjee. The TMC ended up with just 80 seats.
Modi arrived in Jamnagar on Sunday night as part of his two-day visit to Gujarat and was accorded a grand welcome at Lal Bangla Circle by party MLAs, MPs and workers.
Addressing a public gathering at the venue after his arrival, Modi said the West Bengal poll results had emotionally connected people across India unlike any other election he had witnessed.
“We have fought many elections and won many elections. Victory and defeat keep happening. But for the first time, I have seen that the Bengal elections felt like they belonged to the whole country,” he said.
“Even a person sitting thousands of miles away felt a sense of relief when change came to Bengal. Imagine how terrifying the pain of the people there must have been, that a person in Gujarat feels relieved (following BJP’s victory and TMC’s defeat),” he added.
The Prime Minister said the reaction to the election result showed the unity of the country and the emotional connection people across states shared with Bengal.
“Every corner of Gujarat felt the agony of ‘what has happened to our Bengal?’ And then, an unimaginable sense of relief is felt, as if people have been freed from massive shackles. That is the emotion we see. The tears of joy in people’s eyes are not drying up,” said the PM.
Modi said BJP workers had made immense sacrifices in Bengal and recalled that more than 300 party workers had lost their lives there.
“I have seen many election results, but such an impact from an election result… perhaps I am experiencing this for the first time in my political life,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the BJP government in Bengal would help revive the state through governance and welfare initiatives.
“The BJP will definitely fill the 50-year-old ditch that Bengal has fallen into and make Bengal run again,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also said the Bengal election results were being discussed globally and asserted that the victory reflected the changing aspirations of India’s youth.
“The results of the Bengal assembly elections are being discussed all over the world; eminent people globally are taking note,” he said.
Attacking opposition parties, Modi said those engaged only in negativity and abuse have lost touch with the country’s younger generation.
“It seems that many political parties and leaders in the country are completely unaware of the aspirations of today’s youth,” he added.
Referring to the BJP’s recent electoral success in the local body polls in Gujarat, the PM said people had created history by breaking decades-old records.
Highlighting Gujarat’s long-standing support for the BJP, Modi said the state had consistently blessed the party for generations.
Gujarat’s development journey over the past two decades has transformed its global image, he said.
“There was a time when, apart from salt production, we weren’t doing much else,” he said.
Gujarat is now manufacturing semiconductor chips, metro coaches and modern railway engines, while also preparing to build aircraft, he pointed out.
He also cited Gujarat’s initiatives in climate action and renewable energy, saying the state was among the first governments globally to create a dedicated climate department.
Gujarat has emerged as a major hub for solar and renewable energy and played a key role in the country’s development revolution, the PM said.
Referring to his scheduled visit to the Somnath Temple on Monday, Modi said the event would mark 75 years since the re-consecration of the revered place of worship after Independence.
The Prime Minister said the anniversary was linked to the vision of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and recalled that India’s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad had attended the ceremony at the time despite opposition from several quarters.
After the Somnath event, the Prime Minister will travel to Vadodara, where he is scheduled to inaugurate a hostel complex developed by the Sardar Dham Trust.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
Jamnagar, India, India
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