Freedom of speech is at stake in Bengal: PM Modi

Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday claimed that the “freedom of speech” in West Bengal is at stake under the current Trinamool Congress government.

“The opposition voices in West Bengal are being suppressed in West Bengal. The freedom of speech of common people is at stake. In West Bengal, a person is threatened even for sharing a cartoon,” the Prime Minister said while addressing a rally at Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency in Hooghly district in support of the party candidate Arup Kanti Digar.

The Prime Minister was referring to the former professor of Jadavpur University, Dr Ambikesh Mahapatra, who was arrested by police in 2011 for sharing a cartoon of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Prime Minister said that Trinamool Congress leaders feel that they enjoy the monopoly on the culture of West Bengal. “But this is the land of Maa Durga and Maa Kali. In Bengal, censorship has been put on people’s faith. Taking the name of Lord Ram is a crime here,” the Prime Minister said.

He said that it is unfortunate that the condition of women and education are constantly deteriorating in the land of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.

“The contribution of personalities like Shyama Prasad Mukherjee is being undermined in West Bengal for appeasement politics and keeping the dedicated minority vote bank happy. The Trinamool Congress leaders are constantly insulting the people coming from scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes,” the Prime Minister said.

He also said that the Trinamool Congress would not be able to stop the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

This was the third rally addressed by the Prime Minister in the day, the first two being at Barrackpore and Hooghly.

He is scheduled to attend his fourth rally later in the day in Howrah.