Modi-TMC Clash Over Corruption Charges Sparks Fresh Political Row in Bengal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on jailed TMC ex-ministers in Dum Dum triggered an immediate counterattack from Trinamool leaders.

Trinamool Congress general secretary and former MP Kunal Ghosh and state minister Shashi Panja were present at the press conference on Friday.k

Kolkata : Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Dum Dum on Friday sparked a fresh political storm in West Bengal after his remarks on corruption and the controversial ‘disqualification of ministers’ bill drew a sharp counterattack from the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Modi, while addressing the gathering, took direct aim at former state education minister Partha Chatterjee and Jyotipriya Mallick, both arrested in corruption-related cases. He accused them of refusing to resign from their posts despite being jailed, saying this showed contempt for the people’s mandate. “The Constitution cannot be insulted. The people are being deceived,” Modi warned, linking his comments to the new legislation that seeks to strip jailed ministers of their positions.

Within minutes, TMC leaders struck back, invoking the Narada sting scandal and projecting BJP’s own leaders as compromised figures. At a press conference in Kolkata, TMC general secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, flanked by minister Shashi Panja, launched a blistering response. “Narendra Modi is throwing stones from a glass house. Those facing corruption charges are sitting beside him on the stage,” Ghosh said, holding up videos of BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari caught in the Narada bribery sting. He challenged Modi to first purge his own party of tainted leaders before lecturing others.

Ghosh further argued that several politicians, once accused by the BJP of corruption and facing arrest, had conveniently joined the saffron party to evade investigation. “From Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assam to Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra and Suvendu Adhikari in Bengal, all were under BJP’s scanner once. Now they sit comfortably in BJP’s ranks,” he remarked. Turning his attack sharper, he mocked Modi for using a teleprompter to deliver lines in Bengali, saying, “Is this his way of showing respect to our culture?” He also predicted the BJP would face a humiliating defeat in Bengal.

Earlier in his Dum Dum address, Modi tried to strike an emotional chord with Bengali voters, claiming that it was his government that granted classical language status to Bengali and promising to uphold the state’s cultural pride. Yet, critics noted that he avoided any mention of the recurring issue of Bengalis facing discrimination in other states, a controversy that has been dominating political debate in Bengal.

The heated exchange underscored how the corruption debate continues to define political clashes in West Bengal, with both sides accusing each other of shielding the corrupt while claiming to defend constitutional values and people’s interests.