Strict action will be taken against infiltrators: Modi

In his first speech after BJP swept West Bengal assembly elections, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the party's new government in the state would take strict action against infiltrators.

"I assure every citizen of West Bengal today that the BJP will work day and night for a better future for the state. In West Bengal, women will get a safe environment, youth will get employment and their flight will be curbed. In the very first meeting of the [new] cabinet, the Ayushman Bharat scheme [a flagship medical insurance scheme of the Modi government] will be implemented. Strict action will also be taken against infiltrators [ghuspetiya]," Modi said addressing party workers at the BJP national headquarters in New Delhi.

He said it is now the evening of May 4, "a new sunrise took place today on the sacred land of Bengal, a dawn that generations have been waiting for. The number of seats won by BJP is not merely an electoral figure. It is the resounding expression of unwavering faith that has uprooted the politics of fear, appeasement and violence."

"From today, a new journey for Bengal's future begins, one where development, firm trust and new hopes will move forward together, step by step," Modi said.

He said that from today, "a new chapter has been added to the destiny of Bengal. From today, West Bengal has become free from fear and filled with confidence in development. Change has come to Bengal."

Dedicating BJP's win in Bengal to the state's people, the PM said that "with this victory, in the 150th year of Vande Mataram, the people have offered their respectful tributes to Bharat Mata and to Rishi Bankim Chandra."

He recalled how BJP's victory was built on the sacrifice of many BJP workers. "Several BJP women workers have had to endure immense atrocities. You cannot imagine the hardships BJP workers have faced in Kerala and West Bengal, the extent of oppression and injustice they have suffered. Today, I dedicate the success of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bengal to all such workers and their families," Modi added.

He assured the people of Bengal that the new BJP government would work day and night for a better future for the state and women will get a safe environment."

He said the West Bengal elections have been special for another reason as well. "Recall the kind of news that used to emerge during elections in Bengal, violence, fear and the deaths of innocent people. But this time, the entire country heard something different. West Bengal witnessed peaceful polling. For the first time, not a single innocent citizen lost their life in election-related violence."

"My clear belief is that from today, the prevailing electoral mindset in Bengal must change. When the BJP has won, the focus should not be on revenge but on change; not on retaliation but on the future," Modi said and appealed to all political parties workers to put an end to this endless cycle of violence once and for all.