Modi Accuses Bengal Govt of University Chaos; Banerjee Defends

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the West Bengal government of allowing Jadavpur University to descend into chaos during a campaign rally in the Jadavpur area of Kolkata on Friday, prompting a fierce defense from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the state heads into the second phase of assembly elections.

Modi, addressing supporters while campaigning for Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Sarbari Mukherjee, described the university as a former symbol of nationalism that has now become a site of threats and disorder. "Threats are being issued inside the campus, antinational slogans are being scrawled on the walls, and students are being forced to take to the streets in protests instead of focusing on their studies," he said. He questioned the Trinamool Congress government's ability to protect the state's future, stating, "A government that cannot save its own state's largest educational institution, how will it save Bengal's future, how will it save the future of Bengal's youth?" Modi also criticized the ruling party for corruption and for settling illegal immigrants, which he claimed has eroded the state's identity and driven youth migration.