‘If anything happens to you…’: PM Modi asks people on poles to come down at Malda rally - Watch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a public rally in Malda, West Bengal, on Saturday, 17 January, urged people who had climbed on the poles to come down for their safety, just before he began addressing the crowd.

PM Modi is on a visit to West Bengal's Malda, where he flagged off India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train on Saturday. Following the inauguration, he addressed a public rally in Malda.

“I'm appealing to those of you who have climbed up. Please come down... If anything happens to you, if you get hurt, I will be deeply saddened, my friends. I know you can't see me, but you will surely be able to hear my voice, and feel the beating of my heart... If anything happens to you, I will be heartbroken... Your love for me means the world to me, but your lives are even more precious,” ANI quoted PM Modi.

Watch video here —

PM Modi calls out infiltration

During his address, PM Modi launched a strong attack on the TMC government in West Bengal, accusing it of large-scale infiltration that changed the state's demography, sparking riots in districts like Malda and Murshidabad.

He also assured refugees, including the Matuas, who migrated to India due to religious persecution, amidst the ongoing debate over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

PM Modi said that infiltration is one of Bengal's biggest challenges, and emphasised that even wealthy countries worldwide are taking strong measures to identify and remove illegal migrants.

"Infiltration is a very big challenge before Bengal. There are developed and prosperous countries in the world which have no shortage of money, yet they are removing infiltrators. It is equally necessary to remove infiltrators from West Bengal," ANI quoted PM Modi.

He accused the TMC's "syndicate" system of actively facilitating the settlement of infiltrators in Bengal, which he claimed is causing demographic shifts in many regions.

The Prime Minister further assured the politically significant Matua community, who migrated to India from neighbouring Bangladesh after experiencing religious persecution.

"I want to assure refugees like the Matuas who took shelter in India due to religious persecution: you need not worry," he was quoted as saying.

PM Modi noted that the "hooliganism and politics of threats" associated with the TMC would soon end. He argued that Bengal is encircled by BJP-led states that have guaranteed "good governance," and he declared that it is now Bengal's opportunity.

"Bengal is surrounded on all sides by BJP governments that stand for good governance. Now it is time for good governance in Bengal too," he added.