Kolkata, April 26 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that standing with and nominating the mother of the R.G. Kar rape-murder victim as a party candidate in the West Bengal Assembly elections has proved the Bharatiya Janata Party’s commitment towards women’s safety in the state.

Swapna Debnath, the mother of the woman doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata who was raped and murdered within the hospital premises in August 2024, is the BJP candidate from Panihati Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district, which houses the ancestral residence of the victim.

“Mother and sisters have been victims of jungle rule in the Trinamool Congress regime. The anger in their eyes is visible the most, the reflections of which were felt in the huge polling percentage in the first phase of the Assembly polls on April 23,” PM Modi said.

“Goons tortured sisters in Sandeshkhali, and they got the backing of the Trinamool Congress. Mothers and sisters are constantly abused in West Bengal by the ruling party’s goons. Do not forget this. Girls have been going missing every day since the current regime in West Bengal came into power. Trinamool Congress does care about women. But the BJP is committed to women’s safety,” he said.

“In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, we nominated one sister from Sandeshkhali, who protested the atrocities against women there… One sister became a victim at a hospital in Kolkata. Giving nomination to her mother as a party candidate this time proves BJP’s commitment towards women’s safety in West Bengal,” the Prime Minister said at a campaign rally at Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district in the afternoon.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister also said that if the BJP comes to power in West Bengal this time, the focus will not just be on ensuring women’s safety but also enabling overall women’s empowerment.

“The new government will ensure that all women coming from financially backward sections are able to earn at least a lakh a year. If they want to get bank loans at affordable interest rates to start a new business, like eateries at affordable interest rates, your brother Modi will give the guarantee for that. Apart from that, the women in West Bengal will be provided with a monthly allowance of Rs 3,000, which will amount to Rs 36,000 a year. At the same time, 33 per cent of the state government jobs will be reserved for women,” the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi also took a caustic remark at the Trinamool Congress over his jhalmuri break in the middle of the BJP’s poll campaign, saying that this has given shock to some people, a remark addressed to the ruling party leaders mocking him over snacking on a local street food.

“The reels and videos of Bengali youth are being praised on social media nationally. I have also seen some of this creative content. Those who are so annoyed by my jhalmuri break do not like the creativity of the youth of Bengal. BJP will make content creation the strength of Bengal,” he added.

–IANS

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