‘Thunderous jolt’: PM Modi hits back at TMC’s ‘jhalmuri’ dig with ‘chillies’ barb | India News
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hit back at opposition criticism over his unscheduled stop to buy “Jhalmuri” during election campaigning in West Bengal.Addressing a public meeting in Krishnanagar, the Prime Minister said Bengal will celebrate BJP’s victory with sweets and jhalmuri.“You must fly the victory flag of BJP-NDA with all your strength. On May 4, Bengal will also celebrate BJP’s victory, with distribution of sweets and jhalmuri too,” PM Modi said.“Jhalmuri has also given some people a thunderous jolt. I have had Jhalmuri… but it seems TMC is feeling the heat of the chilli,” he added.After Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed PM Modi’s extended stay as a “drama” and claimed that “the entire episode was scripted.”“It’s all drama. How come a camera was present when the PM made an unscheduled stop during the campaign? The whole episode was scripted. He was seen carrying Rs 10 notes in his pocket. Is it believable?” Dr. Banerjee.After concluding his speech in Jhargram, PM Modi visited a jhalmuri stall and asked the vendor to serve some snacks. While it was being prepared, he struck up a brief conversation with the shopkeeper.The TMC also said that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren returned to Ranchi without completing his scheduled campaign for Mamata Banerjee due to Prime Minister Modi’s decision to extend his stay.In a social media post on X, the TMC called the Prime Minister’s candidness a “photo op” and accused him of insulting a tribal leader.“Narendra Modi’s anti-tribal mentality is exposed for all to see. Because the ‘Pradhan Sevak’ decided to stay in Jhargram to eat Jhalmuri, Jharkhand Chief Minister Shri Hemant Soren and his wife and MLA Smt. Kalpana Soren was denied permission to fly their helicopter to Jhargram while Modi was present,” the party said.“Two democratically elected leaders — baseless, kept waiting for hours and finally forced to return to Ranchi without completing their scheduled program — because a prime minister’s extended snack breaks and photo ops took precedence over their democratic rights and constitutional position. This is Modi’s respect for tribal leaders. For elected representatives who do not kneel before him, this honor belongs to him. Came to Jhargram to judge tribal votes. He went on to humiliate those he claimed to stand with. Bengal has seen. And Bengal will remember it on May 4,” it added.With voting underway for the first phase of assembly elections, the state is witnessing a high-voltage contest between the incumbent Trinamool Congress, which is seeking a fourth consecutive term, and the BJP, which is aiming to form the government after a strong showing in the previous polls.A total of 1,478 candidates are competing in this phase.Mamata Banerjee is aiming for a fourth consecutive term, while the BJP, which won 77 seats in the previous election, is making a renewed push to form the government in the state.
