Kolkata: “Bahut khel khel liya hai tumne (you have played for far too long),” PM Narendra Modi said in Bengal on Saturday, snubbing Trinamool’s ‘khela hobe’ poll cry, and terming the assembly elections a fight to save Bengal’s identity.Addressing three back-to-back election rallies in Katwa (Burdwan), Jangipur (Murshidabad) and Kushmandi (South Dinajpur), Modi repeatedly played on the word khela (game), warning that the corrupt, who have “played for far too long” will now be seen running away — “sabka hisab liya jayega (everyone will be accountable)”. At Katwa, impressed by the huge turnout, he said it was a sign of a “big khela” coming to Bengal.“We will not roll out the red carpet for those who have usurped people’s rights. They will be put behind bars. Bengal will not accept their game of appeasement and vote bank. If they (Trinamool) haven’t done anything in 15 years they will not do anything in the next five years. Here syndicate is govt and govt is syndicate,” he said.In Jangipur, a town in Muslim-majority Murshidabad district, Modi touched upon the issues of identity, infiltration and uniform civil code (UCC), promising that BJP would prevent rapid demographic changes. “Demography is changing in a number of areas. Trinamool wants to use infiltrators’ votes to form a govt of infiltrators. We will not let Bengalis become a minority in Bengal,” he said.The outreach comes against the backdrop of resistance by opposition parties to govt’s plans for swift implementation of the quota instead of waiting for completion of the 2027 Census: something that would almost ensure that women’s reservations don’t come into force before 2034 Lok Sabha polls.BJP will need the support of opposition parties to get the two-thirds majority required to ensure passage of the constitutional amendment in Parliament.Stressing that the cause of women’s reservation in Parliament and state legislatures was higher than any one party or individual, Modi said: “It is a moment to demonstrate responsibility towards women and future generations. Since all political parties have expressed the desire to increase women’s representation in politics for a long time, this is the right time to turn that aspiration into a reality.”The women’s quota bills seek to de-link implementation of women’s quota from the findings of 2027 Census.
