Cooch Behar, a key district in northern Bengal, was hit by strong opposition to political views today, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Rallies were held within 30 kilometers of each other. While Ms Banerjee branded the BJP as worse than a snake – “You can trust a snake and even pet it, but not the BJP” – the Prime Minister addressed the state’s increasingly pressing political issues , the Citizenship Amendment Act. But his defense came amid an attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress party – the CAA was being tarred to divert attention from corruption, he said, without naming Ms Banerjee or her party. name.

“They (Indian Group) never cared about marginalized communities. Now that we have brought CAA, they are spreading rumors and lies. Modi assured citizenship to those who have faith in Bharati,” he said tonight , addressing a rally held at the Rash Mela venue in Cooch Behar.

“I say eliminate corruption; the opposition says ‘save the corrupt.’” I will ensure that the corrupt are punished and the poor get justice. Tougher action will be taken against corrupt individuals over the next five years. “

There was also mention of Sandeshkhali, which has become a hot-button issue in this election. Prime Minister Modi said that while the Trinamool was trying to save the Sandeshkhali culprits, “BJP’s focus is on women empowerment. The Sandeshkhali culprits will spend their lives in jail.”

The Chief Minister addressed the CAA issue at Cooch Behar around noon.

She told the audience that once registered under the Citizenship Amendment Act, a person would be deemed to be from Bangladesh and they would lose all their fundamental rights.

“Once you submit your name for registration, you will be declared a Bangladeshi. That means you will not be able to get Lakhishree, Kanyashee benefits, you will not be able to vote, you will have no civil rights, no government rights. Think about it whether it is good or bad , you decide for yourself,” Ms. Banerjee said.

“CAA is a trap to turn legal citizens into foreigners. Once you (BJP) implement CAA, NRC will follow… Remember CAA is the head of the fish and the tail is the NRC,” Ms. Banerjee quoted the snake words said. The analogy claims that the BJP is not trustworthy.

“We are not allowing CAA and NRC into West Bengal. If you apply, you will be designated as a foreigner,” she added.

The BJP hopes to win 25 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming elections, a large chunk of which are expected to come from northern Bengal, where the party has consolidated its base over the past decade.

The BJP has renominated junior home minister Nisith Pramanik, the current MP from Cooch Behar. The Trinamool has fielded Jagadish Barma Basunia, the sitting MLA of Sitai and a member of the Rajbanshi community.

Ms. Banerjee today alleged that the minister is a Trinamool reject. “It is a national disgrace that a person accused in multiple cases was appointed as the Minister of State for Home Affairs. He was sacked by our party. Now, he is an asset of the BJP,” she said.

Mr Pramanik, a former leader of the Trinamool youth wing, was expelled from the party in 2018, after which he joined the BJP.