Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reframed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s iconic slogan “Give me blood, and I’ll give you freedom” into a hard‑hitting electoral pitch in West Bengal, telling the voters of the Matua heartland in Thakurnagar that their votes can purchase “freedom” from the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Speaking at a rally in Bongaon’s Thakurnagar on the eve of the second phase of the assembly elections, Modi said, “Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose said, ‘Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azadi dunga’. The country gave everything on Netaji’s call. Today, Bengal needs your vote. You vote for us and we will free you from TMC. Azadi from TMC’s maha jungle raj, azadi from TMC’s fear, azadi from TMC’s corruption, azadi from torture inflicted on daughters, azadi from unemployment, azadi from infiltrators, azadi from rioters,” prompting thunderous applause from the crowd.
Modi chose the event in the Matua belt—the community at the centre of citizenship and deportation debates—where lakhs of names were deleted from the electoral rolls during the Seafarer Information Register (SIR) exercise. He assured “Matuas and Namashudras” that they will receive the documents and rights of Indian citizens, declaring, “This is Modi’s guarantee.” The Prime Minister also visited the Matua temple in Thakurnagar and posted a picture of his 2019 meeting with the late Matua matriarch, Baroma Binapani Devi, to underline BJP’s outreach to the community.
In the same speech, Modi issued a sharp warning to “infiltrators,” saying, “I am warning the infiltrators to leave Bengal and India before April 29. Otherwise, each of them will be driven out after May 4,” in a move calculated to sharpen the BJP’s narrative of “Bengal for Bengalis.” He tied the first‑phase turnout, which crossed 93% in some assessments, to a “destruction” of the TMC’s pride and predicted that the second phase would deliver a “massive” BJP victory.
