New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress on Monday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Jamuli breakout in West Bengal’s Jhargram and alleged that his decision to extend his stay had led to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren returning to Ranchi without completing his scheduled campaigning for Mamata Banerjee.In X’s social media post, the TMC labeled the Prime Minister’s candid break as a “photo op” and accused him of humiliating an Aboriginal leader.
“Narendra Modi’s Adivasi-birodhi mentality has been exposed for all to see. As ‘Pradhan Sevak’ decided to extend his stay in Jhargram to eat jhalmuri, Jharkhand Chief Minister Shri Hemant Soren and his wife and MLA Smt. Kalpana Soren were denied permission to fly to Jhargram in a helicopter in the presence of Modi,” the party said.“Two elected leaders. Grounded. Waited for hours. Finally forced to return to Ranchi without completing their scheduled schedule, all because the Prime Minister’s extended snack breaks and photo opportunities took precedence over their democratic rights and constitutional status. This is Modi’s respect for the indigenous leaders. This is his respect for the elected representatives who do not surrender to him. He came to Jhargram to fight for the indigenous vote. He left humiliating the very people he claimed to stand with. Bengal saw this, Bengal will be on May 4 Keep this in mind.”Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took a Jamuli break amid the hustle and bustle and political flashpoint of West Bengal, where the Bharatiya Janata Party led by him is mounting a strong challenge to Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year tenure.Also read: ‘Do you eat onions?’ PM Modi takes ‘break’ during Bengal polls – WatchAfter concluding his speech at Jhalgram, Prime Minister Modi walked up to Jamuri stall and said, “Bhai, hume apna jhalmuri khilao.”As the vendor prepared the snacks, the Prime Minister had a brief conversation with him and asked, “Kitne ka hota hai jhalmuri?” He then put his hand into the pocket of Nehru’s jacket to pay.Meanwhile, the vendor asked: “Aap pyaaz khaate hain?” The Prime Minister replied: “Yes, you eat onions. The mind does not eat them.”Prime Minister Modi held multiple rallies across Bengal on Sunday, addressing rallies in Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and Medinipur, further intensifying the already fierce rivalry between the TMC and the BJP.In Jhargram, the prime minister addressed the larger national controversy that has dominated political discussions all week, namely the collapse of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 and implement the women’s reservation law.Prime Minister Modi has accused the ruling TMC of being anti-tribal and anti-women and turning a blind eye to local grievances, including illegal land occupation.Prime Minister Modi said women in Bengal were deprived of rights, security and economic opportunities under the TMC regime and asserted that women empowerment remains a top priority for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).The Prime Minister said, “You gave 15 years to the cruel TMC government. In these 15 years, what did the cruel TMC sarkar give you? What did the Adivasi (tribal) areas get? Na padai, na kamai, na dawai, na sichai (no education, no income, no medicines, no irrigation)… If you want to build even a small house, you have to depend on the TMC syndicate. Be it MP or MLA TMC People, they don’t care about your problems, they just want to fill their coffers. Here, the TMC has encroached upon hundreds of acres of tribal land. “Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held in two phases – April 23 and April 29. Counting will take place on May 4.
