Abhishek Banerjee calls Modi ‘biggest brand ambassador’ of TMC government

Speaking at an election rally in Lalgarh in Jhargram, Banerjee said the incident reflected the change in the region since the Trinamool Congress came to power. He stated that the visit demonstrated how the area had moved past its history of Maoist violence.

Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of making unsubstantiated political attacks on the Trinamool Congress government and ignoring what he described as ground realities. He said those criticising the law and order situation in the state and promising to turn West Bengal into states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh should recall conditions prior to 2011.

The Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, came to power in 2011 after dislodging the Left Front government.

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Referring to conditions in areas such as Jhargram, Gopiballavpur, Lalgarh, Binpur and Nitai, Banerjee said people could not step out after noon before 2011 and added that even the prime minister’s helicopter would not have been able to land in Jhargram at that time. He said the current situation reflected a change.

Banerjee said the restoration of peace in the Jangalmahal region remains one of the key achievements of the Mamata Banerjee government. He added that in the past 15 years he had not seen Modi eat ‘jhalmuri’ in states like Gujarat or Madhya Pradesh, but did so in Jhargram, calling it a reflection of the government’s work.

On Sunday, Modi posted a video on his official X account showing him buying ‘jhalmuri’, a Bengali street food made of puffed rice, green chillies and spices, from a shop in Jhargram. The prime minister, accompanied by security personnel, was seen paying the shopkeeper for the snack and insisting he accept the money when initially declined.