Those responsible for exploitation of Sandeshkhali's women will spend rest of their lives behind bars: PM Modi

Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that those responsible for the oppression and exploitation of women at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas will have to spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

'Recently the entire country has witnessed how the ruling Trinamool Congress and the state government have tried to defend and protect those who are responsible for the exploitation of women at Sandeshkhali. But I can say that they will not be spared and those responsible for such heinous acts will have to spend the rest of their lives behind bars," he said while addressing a rally in Cooch Behar district.

The PM cautioned that the Trinamool will suffer heavily because of what happened at Sandeshkhali.

"Only Trinamool Congress is responsible for what had happened against women at Sandeshkhali. Trinamool Congress will have to pay heavily for that," he said.

He also accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of subjecting people of the state to suffering by not allowing different centrally-sponsored schemes to be implemented in West Bengal.

"The West Bengal government has not allowed the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the state. Anyone from West Bengal having the Ayushman Bharat card could have undergone treatment in Mumbai had he or she fallen sick there. Those who want to get treated outside West Bengal would have got the treatment facilities had they been allowed to avail of the Ayushman Bharat facilities. The Chief Minister has deprived the people of the state of that," the Prime Minister said.

He also alleged that despite the Union government clearing lots of funds under different central-sponsored projects for West Bengal, those projects could not be implemented because of the obstruction created by the state government.

The forthcoming Lok Sabha polls are the right opportunity to give a fitting reply to Trinamool Congress for all its misdeeds, he said.

"So I request the voters to line up in front of the polling booth after sunrise and give your mandate against oppression," he added.