KOLKATA: Bengal’s favorite ‘maachh-bhaat’ filled the poll plate on Thursday as PM Narendra Modi accused Trinamool Congress of failing to feed the piscine-loving state enough fish, seeking to turn on its head a debate triggered by CM Mamata Banerjee’s party portraying BJP as being “anti-non-vegetarian”. In Haldia, where he addressed the first of his three poll rallies for the day, the PM spoke extensively about Bengal underperforming in fish production under successive TMC govts. “In 15 years, TMC couldn’t even give you fish. We created a separate ministry for fisheries,” Modi said. “Bihar and Assam used to import fish. Now, they are self-sufficient, having doubled their fish production. Bengal will also become self-reliant if BJP is voted to office.“ Mamata responded to PM Modi’s comments on “inadequate” fish production by insisting that the dependence on imports from Andhra and Bihar “has gone”. “You don’t let people speak in Bengali. And then you come here to give us a lesson in fish production. You needn’t worry about fish production in Bengal. First, answer why Bengalis in other states are stopped from eating fish or meat. I am not saying everyone must eat non-vegetarian food, but diet should be a matter of personal choice,” she said. Modi followed up his fish dig at TMC in Haldia by contrasting the party’s alleged strategy of governing by “fear” with BJP’s focus on building “trust”, saying Bengal had become “a factory of infiltrators and bombs”. The PM bemoaned what he termed “lack of industrialisation and jobs”, blaming its “reign of fear and intimidation” for industry taking flight. “The nation is exporting weapons made in India, but TMC has opened a cottage industry for crude bombs here,” he said, also accusing the governing party of encouraging cattle smuggling. He said Mamata govt stalled central projects worth Rs 75,000 crore in state out of spite. (With inputs from Suman Mandal & Mohammad Asif)
