Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday slammed the previous governments in West Bengal, accusing them of pushing the state “backwards” and turning the state, which was once a land of opportunity, into “land of exodus” through policies that he said, hindered its development.Addressing a public gathering in Tarakeswar during the Paschimbanga Divas celebrations, Modi said that years of rule by the Left Front and later the All India Trinamool Congress had created “obstacles and setbacks”, while the current administration was moving long-pending projects forward at a “superfast pace.”The Prime Minister alleged that the Congress had sought to abandon Bengal during Partition and later pursued appeasement politics in the state. He claimed that this chapter of Bengal’s history had been suppressed and that the contributions of Syama Prasad Mukherjee were overlooked because he went on to establish the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.Modi further said that a “foreign ideology” had been imposed on a state that produced eminent figures such as Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Swami Vivekananda, Subhas Chandra Bose and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.Criticising successive regimes, he alleged that the Congress, the Left Front and later the Trinamool Congress failed to preserve and develop West Bengal, allowing illegal infiltration to grow. He said that a state with the potential to lead India’s development had instead fallen behind due to decades of misgovernance.Modi said voters had expressed their desire for political change by backing the BJP and helping it secure a record number of seats. According to him, the impact of that mandate was already visible through the rollout of welfare and development initiatives.The visit marked the Prime Minister’s first trip to West Bengal since the BJP’s massive victory in the Assembly elections. During the programme, he launched, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects spanning railways, agriculture, rural development, fisheries and animal husbandry. The initiatives are aimed at strengthening infrastructure, improving livelihoods, enhancing farmer welfare and accelerating socio-economic development across the state.Highlighting welfare measures, Modi said beneficiaries in West Bengal would now receive the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat programme, fulfilling a promise made during the election campaign. He also said women had begun receiving benefits under the Annapurna scheme and noted that an MoU had been signed between the state and the Centre under the Jal Jeevan Mission to ensure access to safe drinking water for every household.Speaking about the country’s long-term development vision, Modi said India is working towards becoming a developed nation by 2047. He stressed that the development of eastern India would be a key pillar of that goal and highlighted the Centre’s focus on the Purvodaya Mission.