Rahul Gandhi Launches Sharp Attack on Modi and Mamata in Bengal Rally, Alleges Trump Controls PM, Pitches Congress as Real Alternative

Hooghly/Malda, West Bengal: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being under the influence of US President Donald Trump, claimed the PM was “controlled” through sensitive files, and drew a sharp parallel between the BJP and West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), alleging both promoted corruption, cronyism, and neglect of the poor ahead of the ongoing state assembly elections.

Addressing a public meeting in the presence of senior Congress leaders including Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Subhankar Sarkar, Pradip Bhattacharya, Ajay Rai, and others, Gandhi framed the political contest in Bengal and the country as a battle between two ideologies: the Congress party’s emphasis on the Constitution, unity, and brotherhood versus the BJP-RSS’s alleged politics of “hatred, violence, and arrogance.”

He recalled the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, saying it aimed to counter the BJP’s “market of hatred” with a “shop of love” — the same ideology that he said guided India’s independence and Constitution.

Gandhi alleged that wherever Modi or BJP leaders go, their focus is to divide people along religious and caste lines and spread fear. He claimed Modi makes “grand pronouncements” but operates under external pressure from Trump, citing a US-India deal that he said compromised India’s agriculture, small and medium industries, energy security, and data infrastructure.

“The day Trump opens the Epstein files, Narendra Modi will be finished,” Gandhi asserted, adding that the files contain details that give Trump leverage over the Prime Minister. He further alleged that financial records related to the Adani Group — which he dubbed “Modani” — are also with Trump, claiming Modi has handed over airports, ports, infrastructure, power projects, and more to a few billionaires like Adani and Ambani at the expense of the common people.

Gandhi said Modi “jumps” when Trump commands, citing the Prime Minister’s visit to Israel as an example, and accused the government of prioritizing a handful of industrialists over the poor. He criticized demonetization and GST for destroying small industries and questioned the lack of development for ordinary citizens over the past 10-12 years.

Turning to West Bengal, Gandhi drew direct parallels between the BJP and TMC under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He said both have failed to generate employment or revive industry, pointing to the decline of jute mills, the Ambassador car manufacturing hub at Hindustan Motors, and the broader industrial ecosystem in the state.

“Mamata Ji is no less culpable” than Modi in corruption, he said, referencing the Saradha and Rose Valley chit fund scams (alleging losses of ₹19,000 crore and ₹6,600 crore respectively), coal smuggling, illegal mining, and what he called a “Gunda Tax.” He accused TMC of nepotism in jobs, violence against Congress workers, and shielding perpetrators in cases like the RG Kar rape and murder incident.

Gandhi noted that Mamata had promised jobs for 500,000 people in 2021 but delivered none, with 8.4 million youths reportedly applying for unemployment allowance. He argued that Bengal, once a leader in the freedom struggle and an industrial powerhouse, has lost its glory under successive governments — first the Left Front and now TMC.

The Congress leader claimed Mamata’s governance is inadvertently paving the way for the BJP in the state, and asserted that only the Congress, with its ideological fight against the RSS-BJP, poses a genuine threat to Modi. He highlighted facing multiple cases, prolonged ED questioning, and loss of his parliamentary seat and home, contrasting it with what he said was the lack of similar action against Mamata.

“Narendra Modi attacks Mamata during elections but stays silent afterward because he knows the real challenge comes from the Congress,” Gandhi said. He urged the people of Bengal to strengthen the Congress, vote for its candidates, and help restore the state’s industrial and progressive legacy.

The rally comes as West Bengal votes in phases for its 294-seat assembly, with Congress contesting independently after deciding against alliances. Gandhi called on the crowd to back leaders like Subhankar Sarkar and send Congress representatives to the assembly to defeat the forces of division.

The speech reflects the Congress’s aggressive pitch in the state, positioning itself as the ideological alternative amid a triangular contest involving the TMC, BJP, and Congress.