Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit West Bengal on Friday, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for a slew of development projects worth over ₹5,000 crore and address a public rally in Durgapur. The visit, coming just days ahead of the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) high-stakes Shahid Diwas (Martyrs’ Day) rally on 21 July, is being seen as a significant political statement by the BJP.
With the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for 2026, Modi’s outreach in the industrial belt of Durgapur marks an early show of strength by the BJP, which is looking to expand its footprint in the state.
During his visit, the Prime Minister will launch multiple infrastructure and energy projects aimed at boosting connectivity, employment, and energy access in the region.
Among the key projects, PM Modi will launch BPCL’s ₹1,950 crore City Gas Distribution project in Bankura and Purulia, aimed at providing piped and compressed natural gas and generating local jobs. He will also dedicate the ₹1,190 crore Durgapur–Kolkata section of the PM Urja Ganga pipeline, set to supply gas to lakhs of households and industries. Additionally, he will inaugurate the ₹390 crore doubling of the Purulia–Kotshila rail line to boost freight and passenger movement. Two stages have been set up at Durgapur’s Nehru Stadium—one for the inaugurations, the other for his public address.
While PM Modi’s visit does not clash with the TMC’s annual Shahid Diwas rally on July 21, the timing is politically significant. The Shahid Diwas rally is one of the TMC’s largest mobilisation events and this year’s edition is expected to carry particular weight, as it is the last before the 2026 Assembly polls.
Political observers note that Modi’s visit serves as a prelude to the TMC’s rally, potentially setting the tone for a BJP counter-narrative.
In the lead-up to both events, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sharpened her rhetoric against the Centre. On Wednesday, she led a protest march in Kolkata against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states.
“If you create disturbance here, I will tour the entire country. You won’t be able to stop me. I will see how many detention camps you can lodge me in. Even there I will speak in Bengali," asserted Mamata Banerjee. “Bengal is under our control and will remain so. In the coming days, we will also take over Delhi, taking everyone along," she added.
Meanwhile, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari visited the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal the same day, raising the issue of infiltration, a key talking point in the BJP’s Bengal campaign.
Though the rallies are separated by two days, the build-up has made it clear that both the BJP and TMC are ramping up their political messaging.
