Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kolkata today for the inauguration of three new metro rail lines has set off a fierce political tussle between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
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| Kolkata East-West Metro Rail. Stock Image. |
Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Kolkata today to inaugurate three new metro rail lines, a move that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has projected as a major step in advancing the city’s transport infrastructure. However, the event has already triggered a heated political debate between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal and the BJP, with both parties seeking to claim credit and leverage the development for political mileage.
The inauguration of the metro lines, viewed as a significant milestone in Kolkata’s urban transit expansion, has been hailed by the BJP as an example of the Modi government’s commitment to modernizing infrastructure in Bengal. Party leaders have stressed that the Centre has consistently invested in the state’s transport projects, and they argue that today’s inauguration will directly benefit lakhs of commuters.
The TMC, however, has countered these claims, accusing the BJP of indulging in political theatrics. Senior TMC leaders have pointed out that much of the groundwork for the metro expansion was laid during Mamata Banerjee’s tenure as the Union Railway Minister, and they insist that the state government has also played a crucial role in facilitating the project. “This is not the BJP’s gift to Bengal; the people’s tax money has built this. We will not allow the Centre to hijack Bengal’s achievements,” a TMC spokesperson said.
Political observers note that the timing of the inauguration is significant, coming as the state braces for a series of high-stakes electoral battles in the coming months. The BJP, which has been working hard to expand its footprint in West Bengal, hopes to use the occasion to showcase Modi’s direct involvement in Bengal’s development story. The TMC, on the other hand, is keen to prevent the BJP from gaining political advantage and has intensified its rhetoric against the Centre.
Security has been tightened across Kolkata ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit, with both supporters and opponents of the BJP expected to stage demonstrations. The political temperature in the city is already running high, as today’s inauguration is not just about infrastructure—it has become another flashpoint in the bitter rivalry between the BJP and the TMC.
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