Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday linked West Bengal's Partition-era history with its current political landscape, saying the state was finally moving along a development path aligned with the cultural identity envisioned in 1947.
Addressing an event in Hooghly district to mark 'Paschimbanga Divas' (West Bengal Day), Modi said attempts were made during Partition to include the entire undivided Bengal in Pakistan and alleged that the state's past had been 'whitewashed' for political reasons.
He credited Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee for spearheading the movement opposing proposals to include the whole of Bengal in Pakistan and accused the Congress of bowing 'before conspiratorial forces' during Partition and later trying to erase the history and significance of 'Paschimbanga Divas'.
Modi also laid the foundation stone for several development projects and released the 23rd instalment of the PM-Kisan scheme worth ₹18,880 crore. He said the 'double-engine government' had begun working at 'superfast speed' to put West Bengal on a path of recovery and development.
