Kolkata

Narendra Modi on Monday expressed confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party would form the next government in West Bengal after the assembly elections, saying he would return to the state for the swearing-in ceremony after results on May 4.

Addressing a rally in Barrackpore on the final day of campaigning for the second and last phase of polling, Modi sharply criticised the ruling All India Trinamool Congress, accusing it of fostering “syndicate raj”, political violence and economic decline.

“The mood that I have sensed in West Bengal shows I will have to come again for the oath-taking ceremony of the BJP government after May 4,” he said to loud cheers.

Invoking the historic importance of Barrackpore, Modi said the area had played a major role in India’s first war of Independence in 1857 and was now preparing the ground for political change in Bengal.

He said the progress of West Bengal was essential for India’s development and stressed that the rise of eastern India was crucial for the country’s future.

“My destiny and responsibility are to serve, secure and save West Bengal,” he said.

Drawing comparisons with recent BJP gains in neighbouring states, Modi said that after Odisha and Bihar, the lotus symbol of the BJP would bloom in West Bengal as well.

He alleged that the Trinamool Congress had betrayed its founding slogan of “Maa, Maati, Maanush” and lacked any vision for development.

Claiming industries were shutting down while criminal networks expanded, Modi said mills were closing while crude bomb factories were opening and the ruling party’s syndicate system was growing.

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He urged voters to defeat what he described as “syndicate raj” and accused the ruling party of relying on abuse, threats and falsehoods instead of governance.