Mamata Banerjee a roadblock to Bengal's development: PM Modi

Siliguri: Terming West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee a speed-breaker in the way of rapid development in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Wednesday said she was not interested in eliminating poverty as her brand of politics would then come to an end.

"I regret the speed with which we worked in other states, we could not achieve in Bengal," Modi said while addressing a rally in support of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.

"In West Bengal, there is a speed-breaker in the way of your development. People here know this speed-breaker as Didi (as Banerjee is affectionately called)," he said.

Alleging that Banerjee had no concern for the poor, Modi said she was proficient in playing the politics of the poor. "How can she work for ending poverty? If poverty is obliterated, Didi's politics will also come to an end," Modi said.

Attacking the Congress and the Communists, the Prime Minister said they share the same trait. "They need poverty. They need the poor. Their political gain is in keeping the people in poverty. This is the reason they have put brakes on development."

Modi said these parties have hatched a conspiracy to prevent the poor from getting benefit of development.

Visibly happy at the huge turnout, Modi said Banerjee's boat had sunk. "Had I not seen the sea of humanity here, I couldn't have even fathomed that Didi's boat has sunk," he said.