Bankura (West Bengal) [India], April 12 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that West Bengal is moving forward on a path of change, while addressing a public meeting at Sonamukhi in the state ahead of the assembly elections.

Speaking at the pubic meeting, the Chief Minister expressed that once the powerhouse of entrepreneurship, art, and culture of India, West Bengal has been a victim of wrongful leadership under Congress, Left, and Trinamool Congress over the past fifteen years.

'Now that India has completed 150 years of Vande Mataram, I am confident that change will happen in West Bengal. West Bengal has now embarked on a new path of change. It is sad to see the plight of Bengal today. Bengal, the land of India's spirituality, culture, art, and education, taught the nation the true meaning of entrepreneurship. Indeed, for several years following independence, Bengal contributed a significant share to India's GDP through its entrepreneurial spirit, sheer diligence, and the immense talent of its youth. Today, Bengal has been pushed towards poverty first by the Congress, then by the Left and now for the last fifteen years by the TMC,' he said.

CM Yogi also highlighted that Uttar Pradesh has been acting as a growth engine for the Indian economy, saying that there are no goons, curfew, or riots in the state anymore since the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) gained power there.

'There are no riots in Uttar Pradesh anymore. There is no curfew, no riots. Everything is fine in UP. All the mafia that existed there has gone to hell. No mafia, no goons. Now every citizen is safe there. Today, Uttar Pradesh is playing the role of a growth engine in India's economy,' he added.

Yogi further said that only the BJP can cure the hooliganism spread by the TMC and Left-wing goons in West Bengal.

'The double-engine BJP government will treat the rioters. If anyone has a cure for these TMC and Left-wing goons, it's the BJP's double-engine government,' he said.

The remarks come as West Bengal nears the Assembly elections 2026, scheduled to take place in two phases on April 23 and 29, with the results set for May 4.

The upcoming elections follow the 2021 battle, where the TMC secured a landslide 213 seats. However, the BJP's growth from a minor player to 77 seats in the last cycle has set the stage for the current high-stakes confrontation. (ANI)