Modi dials Basirhat pick, calls her ‘Shakti Swarupa’

Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called up Basirhat BJP candidate Rekha Patra, one of the affected women of the violence at Sandeshkhali of North 24 Parganas in West Bengal, and hailed her as “Shakti Swarupa” to motivate her in the Lok Sabha elections.

During their telephonic conversation, Modi said, “Rekhaji, you are ‘Shakti Swarupa’ for the way you fought the atrocities at Sandeshkhali. You have sent so many powerful men to jail! Do you have any idea what a daring act you did?”

Replying to him, Patra said that she could do it because of the support she got from other women in the area before she vowed to move ahead with her goal.

Patra, in an answer to PM’s question of public reaction in Basirhat to her candidature, informed him that she had faced opposition from some Trinamul Congress workers for getting a ticket from the BJP and alleged that she had not been able to cast her vote since 2011, as votes were looted during the previous elections.

Modi told her, “I’m sure your message will reach the Election Commission, which in turn will ensure arrangements for all the voters to exercise their franchise fairly and freely. We also hope the EC will understand your pain of failing to cast your votes since 2011.”

He also pledged his all out support behind the first-time BJP candidate and advised her to reach out to the voters with the message of the Central government’s public welfare schemes.

The Trinamul Congress hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately.

West Bengal state industry minister Shashi Panja said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have reprimanded Dilip Ghosh for insulting another ‘Shakti Swarupa of Bengal’ — our party chief Mamata Banerjee.”

“Thousands of women of Manipur are waiting to hear from Narendra Modi, but he is silent. What to expect from him when he himself came to Bengal in 2021 and catcalled Didi,” Panja added.