New Delhi: Hindus have been reduced to second-class citizens in West Bengal under Trinamool Congress' rule, alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi was responding to Trinamool MLA Humayun Kabir's recent remarks, during his poll rally in Bengal's Bardhaman-Durgapur on Friday, May 3. 

In a direct attack to Trinamool Congress ahead of the elections, PM Modi said that the Opposition is diving the society for the sake of votes, adding that they cannot develop the country. He addressed the recent controversy stoked by TMC MLA Humayun Kabir and questioned the language used by Kabir and political culture of the Trinamool Congress. 

“A TMC MLA gave an open threat. He said that they would drown Hindus in Bhagirathi in just 2 hours. What is this language and political culture? What is happening to Hindus in Bengal? Looks like the TMC has made the Hindus second citizens in West Bengal,” said the Prime Minister during his rally in Bardhaman. 

“They (Opposition) cannot bring development. They only know how to divide the society for the sake of votes,” he added. 

TMC's Humayun Kabir's Open Threat to Hindus 

TMC MLA Humayun Kabir has openly threatened to ‘drown Hindus in Bhagirathi river’. Kabir represents Bharatpur assembly constituency in Muslim-majority district, Murshidabad. Bhagirathi is a tributary of Ganga which flows through Bengal. 

In a video of Kabir, which recently went viral on social media, he can be heard saying, "If I can't throw BJP (supporters) into the river Bhagirathi Ganga within two hours, I will leave politics. I will not let you guys stay in Shaktipur. If you think that only 30 per cent of residents (referring to Hindus) are there in Murshidabad, we are 70 per cent (Muslims)."

PM Rakes UP Sandeshkhali During Bardhaman Rally 

PM also accused the Trinamool government of shielding prime accused in the Sandeshkhali case- Shahjahan Sheikh. “I want to ask TMC, in Sandeshkhali our Dalit sisters were served huge injustice. The whole country was demanding action. The TMC saw shielding the culprit. Was the reason that the name of the culprit was Shahjahan Sheikh? The TMC is busy in appeasement. Can a vote bank be above humanity?” said the Prime Minister. 

Sandeshkhali, a village in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, has been witnessing protests over allegations of sexual abuse of women by a local TMC leader.

Several women in the region have accused the local Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of land-grab and sexually assaulting them under coercion. BJP has fielded one of the survivors - Rekha Patra - from Basirhat seat in this Lok Sabha elections.