Amid high-octane campaigning for the two-phase West Bengal assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took a short break from his busy schedule to enjoy ‘Jhalmuri’, a popular Indian street snack, at a small local shop.
The Prime Minister was also seen distributing refreshments – a traditional concoction of puffed rice – to locals gathered at the site. People were heard chanting “Jai Shri Ram”, “Narendra Modi zindabad” and “Bharat Mata ki jai”.
In the video, the prime minister, dressed in his signature attire – a white kurta, a navy blue striped waistcoat and a red scarf with a lotus symbol – is seen asking a vendor to serve him a snack.
“Bhai hume apna Jhalmuri khila,” (Serve us your Jhalmuri), Modi is heard saying in the clip. He then asked the price but the salesman refused to take payment. However, Modi made him pay ₹10 for a snack, even though the shopkeeper resisted.
Stocked with a variety of namkeen packets and mixes neatly stored in containers alongside the staple ‘muri’ (puffed rice), the small shop saw an unexpected surge in visitors during the Prime Minister’s layover.
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Sharing the fleeting moments on X, the Prime Minister wrote, “Had a delicious Jhalmuri in Jhargram between four rallies in West Bengal on a busy Sunday.”
The Bengal Campaign
Earlier in the day, Modi addressed the large Vijay Sankalp Sabha in four regions and launched a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress. He accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of institutionalizing corruption and promoting “Maha Jungle Raj”. He also described the upcoming 2026 West Bengal elections as the “last chance” for the “ovens and syndicates” to capitulate.
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The prime minister also criticized the party over the issue of women’s reservation.
He said, “The anti-women TMC must be removed from power now. The sisters of Bengal must get their rights, safety and earning opportunities and that is the priority of the BJP.”
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He further claimed that while the BJP was working to ensure that women benefit from reservation provisions from 2029, the TMC was against the move in Parliament.
“BJP tried to ensure that women start benefiting from reservation from 2029. But mahila virodhi (anti-women) TMC opposed it in Parliament. TMC resorted to all kinds of frauds and tricks to prevent 33 percent of Bengali women from becoming MLAs and MPs. PM said Bengali women must punish TMC for this.
He also warned women voters in the state against what he described as the failure of the party.
“We want to warn the sisters of Bengal against the misdeeds of TMC. TMC came to power talking about ‘Ma, Mati, Manush’ but TMC has betrayed mothers. In the recent past you also saw in Parliament that BJP tried to ensure that it is reserved for women in elections from 2029,” he said, but anti-women in Parliament are against it.
The West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases, on April 23 and April 29, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
(With inputs from news agency ANI)
