Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal, accusing it of corruption and destroying the livelihoods of thousands of youths in the state. Addressing a public meeting in Malda town in support of BJP Lok Sabha candidates Khagen Murmu and Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhary, PM Modi said that the TMC had ‘played with the lives’ of Bengal’s young people. He alleged that the party’s massive recruitment scam had resulted in the loss of jobs for approximately 26,000 individuals. Modi pointed to the Calcutta High Court’s recent order canceling the appointments of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff made through the flawed State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) process in government-sponsored and aided schools in the state. The court had also directed that a portion of the recruits would have to return their salaries along with interest. Noting that the TMC had indulged in corruption at various levels, Modi said that the people of Bengal were suffering due to its misgovernance. He highlighted several scams involving the party, including the Sarada chit fund, Rose Valley chit fund, recruitment, and ration scams. Modi alleged that under the TMC’s rule, nothing worked in Bengal without ‘cut and commission’ to the party. He accused the TMC of misusing central funds meant for the development of Bengal and obstructing the implementation of central schemes in the state. Modi also slammed the TMC’s opposition to the triple talaq bill and its silence on atrocities against women in Malda and Sandeshkhali. He said that the TMC and its alliance partners were willing to go to any extent to appease their vote bank. Turning his attention to the Congress, Modi criticized Sam Pitroda’s remarks about inheritance tax and Rahul Gandhi’s statement on wealth redistribution. He alleged that the Congress wanted to impose heavy taxes and prevent people from passing on their hard-earned wealth to their children. Modi claimed that the Congress was only interested in filling its own coffers and exploiting people both during their lifetime and after their death.
PM Modi Slams TMC Over School Jobs Scam, Says 26,000 Youths Lost Livelihoods
