Bengal Polls: Shah Promises Ghatal Master Plan Execution Within A Year

Launching a frontal attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) over governance and flood management in Bengal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party, if voted to power, “would implement the long-pending Ghatal Master Plan within one year” and permanently resolve the flooding crisis in the region.

Addressing a public meeting in Debra constituency ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, Shah said that the TMC government had “trashed” the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comprehensive master plan for recurring floods in Ghatal.

“Today, I also want to talk about the Ghatal floods here. After the Ghatal floods occurred, Prime Minister Modi sent a master plan for Ghatal’s development worth 1,500 crore rupees. The responsibility for 60% of the funds was to be borne by Prime Minister Modi, but the TMC government trashed the Ghatal master plan. Don’t worry, form a BJP government. We will implement the Ghatal master plan within one year and resolve the flood problem,” Shah said.

Earlier in the day, Shah also released the BJP’s West Bengal Assembly election manifesto, themed around the vision of “Sonar Bangla” (Golden Bengal). The document lays out what the party describes as a roadmap for a “radical shift” in governance, with focus areas including national security, employment generation for youth, and women’s safety.

Listing key commitments, Amit Shah said the BJP has outlined 15 major promises in its manifesto, aimed at addressing governance deficits, development challenges, and security concerns in the state.

The political battle in the state is intensifying ahead of the 294-member West Bengal Assembly elections, which will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.

Further addressing a programme in Kolkata after releasing the party’s manifesto, Shah also said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would be implemented in the state within six months if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “comes to power” in the state.

He said several BJP-ruled states have already implemented the UCC to ensure that a single, uniform set of laws applies to all citizens across states.

“Several BJP-ruled states have implemented the Uniform Civil Code. Within six months, we will implement the UCC in Bengal and ensure that a single, uniform set of laws applies to all citizens across the state,” he added. (ANI)