PM Modi puts fish on poll menu to counter Mamata's attack

KOLKATA: Bengal's favourite 'maachh-bhaat' filled the canvass sheet connected Thursday arsenic PM Narendra Modi accused Trinamool Congress of failing to provender the piscine-loving authorities capable fish, seeking to crook connected its caput a statement triggered by CM Mamata Banerjee's enactment portraying BJP arsenic being "anti-non-vegetarian". In Haldia, wherever helium addressed the archetypal of his 3 canvass rallies for the day, the PM spoke extensively astir Bengal underperforming successful food accumulation nether successive TMC govts. "In 15 years, TMC couldn't adjacent springiness you fish. We created a abstracted ministry for fisheries," Modi said. "Bihar and Assam utilized to import fish. Now, they are self-sufficient, having doubled their food production. Bengal volition besides go self-reliant if BJP is voted to office.

" Mamata responded to PM Modi's comments connected "inadequate" food accumulation by insisting that the dependence connected imports from Andhra and Bihar "has gone". "You don't fto radical talk successful Bengali. And past you travel present to springiness america a acquisition successful food production. You needn't interest astir food accumulation successful Bengal. First, reply wherefore Bengalis successful different states are stopped from eating food oregon meat. I americium not saying everyone indispensable devour non-vegetarian food, but fare should beryllium a substance of idiosyncratic choice," she said.

Modi followed up his food excavation astatine TMC successful Haldia by contrasting the party's alleged strategy of governing by "fear" with BJP's absorption connected gathering "trust", saying Bengal had go "a mill of infiltrators and bombs". The PM bemoaned what helium termed "lack of industrialisation and jobs", blaming its "reign of fearfulness and intimidation" for manufacture taking flight. "The federation is exporting weapons made successful India, but TMC has opened a cottage manufacture for crude bombs here," helium said, besides accusing the governing enactment of encouraging cattle smuggling. He said Mamata govt stalled cardinal projects worthy Rs 75,000 crore successful authorities retired of spite. (WIth inputs from Suman Mandal & Mohammad Asif)