No Indian is outsider in Bengal: PM Modi

Kanthi (WB): Bengal has brought together the nation through 'Vande Mataram', and on this land, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was terming people "bohiragoto", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, announcing that if voted to power, a son of the soil would be made the BJP Chief Minister of the State.

Addressing an election rally in Kanthi in Purba Medinipur district, Modi said that Bengal is the land of icons like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore and Subhas Chandra Bose and on this land no Indian is an outsider.

"Bengal brought together the people of India through Vande Mataram, and on that land Mamata-didi is talking about 'bohiragoto' (outsider). No Indian is an outsider here, they are children of Bharat Mata," he said.

"We are being called 'tourists', fun is being made of us, we are being insulted. Didi, people of Rabindranath's Bengal don't consider anybody outsider," Modi added.

When the BJP forms government in Bengal, the Chief Minister would be a son of the soil, he said at the rally amid loud cheers from his supporters.

Modi's comments came amid an "insider vs outsider" debate with Banerjee asserting regularly that she wouldn't allow Bengal to be ruled by "outsiders" from Delhi or Gujarat, in a reference to the BJP and the Prime Minister.