PM Modi unveils ₹3,200 Crore Highway projects, boosts Bengal connectivity

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for national highway projects worth around ₹3,200 crore in West Bengal, aimed at boosting connectivity between the state’s southern and northern regions. The projects include the four-laning of key stretches of National Highway 34, which officials said would strengthen the Kolkata-Siliguri corridor and spur trade, tourism and economic activity.

The Prime Minister inaugurated the 66.7-km-long four-laning of the Barajaguli-Krishnanagar section of NH-34 in Nadia district and laid the foundation stone for the four-laning of the 17.6-km Barasat-Barajaguli stretch in neighbouring North 24 Parganas district. The upgraded highway network is expected to significantly improve travel efficiency across the state.

Following the infrastructure event, Modi addressed a public rally at Taherpur in the Ranaghat area of Nadia district.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister arrived at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata at 10:33 am and proceeded to Nadia by helicopter, officials said.

The visit comes amid heightened political tensions in West Bengal over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This is Modi’s first visit to the state since the publication of the draft SIR rolls and his third visit in the past five months, making the trip politically significant ahead of the assembly elections due early next year.

Political observers said the choice of Taherpur as the rally venue was strategic, given its proximity to the Matua and Namasudra Hindu heartland in Nadia and adjoining North 24 Parganas districts. The Matua community, a Dalit Hindu group that migrated from Bangladesh over decades due to religious persecution, has expressed growing unease following the release of the draft electoral rolls.

According to the draft rolls published after the enumeration phase, 58,20,899 names have been excluded, reducing the electorate to 7.08 crore. Around 1.36 crore entries have been flagged for “logical discrepancies,” while nearly 30 lakh voters have been categorised as unmapped and may be called for verification hearings over the next 45 days. Political analysts believe the Matua community influences nearly 80 of the state’s 294 assembly seats.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has mounted sustained opposition to the SIR exercise, alleging that it is being conducted in haste and could disenfranchise genuine voters, particularly refugee Hindus. Chief Minister Banerjee has led anti-SIR rallies in Nadia and North 24 Parganas districts in recent weeks.

In a post on X on Friday evening announcing his visit, Modi said the people of West Bengal were benefiting from several central government initiatives but were suffering due to what he described as the Trinamool Congress’s misgovernance. He added that the BJP remained the “people’s hope” in the state.

The Prime Minister’s visit is also being seen as an early signal of the BJP’s campaign push as it seeks to firm up its strategy for the upcoming assembly elections.