PM lambasts Trinamool Congress over 'bloodbath' in Bengal panchayat polls

Kolkata, Aug 12 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal over the 'bloodbath' in the recently-concluded panchayat polls in the state in which over 50 persons were killed.

Trinamool Congress leadership has vehemently criticised the comments of the Prime Minister and claimed that the latter has no right to speak of the situation in West Bengal considering the kind of violence unleashed both by both the ruling party and the state administration in the different BJP-ruled states.

While virtually addressing the eastern regional Panchyati Raj workshop, the Prime Minister accused the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal of “playing with blood” in the rural civic body polls.

“The entire country has witnessed this game of blood by Trinamool Congress, where not just the BJP supporters and leaders but also the common voters became the onslaught of violence unleashed by Trinamool Congress.,” the Prime Minister said. At the same time, he complemented the role played by the BJP leaders and workers in West Bengal for constantly working to achieve a better state combating the onslaughts of the ruling party activists.  

“Despite the massive violence unleashed by the ruling party activists, the BJP candidates had won a number of seats in the panchayat polls. Even after the polls are over, our winning candidates continue to face the onslaughts of the ruling party activists,” the Prime Minister said.

Meanwhile, addressing the G-20 anti-corruption ministerial meeting on the same day, the prime minister said that the poor and marginalised section of the society are the biggest victims of corruption. “Corruption affects several crucial factors like resource utilisation, markets and service delivery which ultimately affect the lives of poor people. It is the greed that prevents us from realising the trust in this regard,” the Prime Minister said

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister also claimed that the enactment of the Economic Offenders Act in 2018 ensures his government’s commitment and drive against corruption. He also claimed that through effective use of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the government had been able to attach the assets and properties of the economic offenders amounting to several billions of dollars since 2014.