Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Bihar and West Bengal, focusing on development and political strategy. In Bihar, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation for projects worth approximately 13,000 crore rupees, while in West Bengal, projects worth 5,200 crore rupees will be launched, including three metro projects. Alongside these inaugurations, PM Modi will address public gatherings. These projects are vital for the development of both states and the expansion of rail transport, holding significant importance for the entire nation. Moreover, this visit is politically significant, occurring amidst Rahul Gandhi’s voter rights campaign in Bihar.
During Rahul Gandhi’s voter rights campaign, leaders from the India alliance, including RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and CPI(ML)’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, are uniting to criticize the Nitish Kumar government and the BJP. The political atmosphere is charged by the unity of India alliance parties. The TMC and Mamata Banerjee have also voiced their opposition to issues and displayed solidarity with the India alliance. Mamata Banerjee has objected to the 130th amendment of the constitution, alleging discrimination against Bengalis regarding language. Amidst these political tensions, PM Modi’s visit to Bengal carries considerable political weight.
This marks PM Modi’s third visit to Bengal this year. During his previous visits, he criticized TMC’s corruption and the issue of Bangladeshi infiltrators. On Thursday, before the visit, PM Modi emphasized development in West Bengal through a tweet and attacked TMC, stating that public anger against TMC is rising, and the state’s people are looking towards BJP for development. It is expected that PM Modi will address the public gathering at Dum Dum, likely targeting TMC and Mamata Banerjee.
The TMC currently holds control over all seven assembly seats in the Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency. These seats are situated in the North 24 Parganas district, where TMC dominates municipal administrations as well. PM Modi’s public meeting is expected to send a message to Mamata Banerjee. Additionally, it seeks to strengthen the BJP’s organization in the region. In the past, BJP MP Tapan Sikdar was elected from the Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency during the Left Front rule. North 24 Parganas is close to the Bangladesh border, hosting numerous refugees and Bangladeshi infiltrators. The BJP has consistently targeted TMC over the issue of Bangladeshi infiltration.
On August 22, PM Modi will arrive in Gaya, Bihar. He will inaugurate and lay the foundation for various development projects at Magadh University. These include a new bridge over the Ganga River, a four-lane highway, and two new Amrit Bharat trains. This visit holds special political significance, being PM Modi’s first visit after Gaya was renamed as Gaya Ji. It also marks his first major event in the Magadh region before the upcoming elections.
In the 2020 Bihar assembly elections, the NDA’s performance in the Magadh region was disappointing. Out of the 26 assembly seats across Gaya, Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Nawada, and Arwal, the NDA secured only six seats. The Hindustani Awam Morcha won three seats, while the BJP won three. JDU did not win any seat. In Gaya district, the NDA won five out of 10 seats, but faced major defeats in Aurangabad, Jehanabad, and Arwal. The BJP managed to win only one seat out of five in Nawada district.
Rahul Gandhi recently visited Gaya Ji during his voter rights campaign, targeting the BJP and Nitish Kumar. PM Modi’s meeting in Gaya Ji is viewed as a response to Rahul Gandhi. Political analysts believe that this visit by PM Modi will not only serve as an opportunity for inaugurating development projects but also as a political effort to invigorate NDA workers and leaders, following the previous disappointing election performance.