The mercury breached the 40 degree-Celsius mark in Bankura and Purulia on Thursday. The political heat appeared to surpass that temperature in this part of arid Bengal as Prime Minister Naredra Modi and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee were locked in a bitter war of words.

Although they spoke from different daises in the adjoining districts, they touched on the same issues, making it seem like they were having a face-to-face duel.

Coal mafia

PM’s charge: Modi fired the first salvo when he accused Mamata and her government of involvement in coal smuggling. At his rallies in Purulia and Bankura, Modi went to the extent of alleging the presence of the coal mafia in the Trinamul government.

“In Purulia, you are sitting on black gold (coal). But all governments that ruled here made coal mafia their candidates. Trinamul has made the mafia a partner in the government,” Modi told the rally at Purulia’s Raibaghini Ground.

“You know how Trinamul runs mafia raaj in coal mines. Trinamul leaders are taking money from the illegal trade,” Modi said in Bankura, speaking in Bengali.

CM’s rebuttal: Mamata hit back within an hour, throwing down the gauntlet at her rally in Bankura.

“You are saying I have made coal mafia our candidates. If you can prove that a single candidate is from the coal mafia, I will withdraw nominations of all our 42 candidates. But if you fail to prove it, you have to squat 100 times in public,” she dared Modi.

Later, in her speech at the Shimulia ground in Purulia, Mamata turned the tables on the Modi government and said “leaders (from Delhi)” were involved in coal smuggling. “The coal ministry is under the Centre and the CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) guards the coal (mines),” Mamata said.

Slap of democracy

PM’s charge: In Purulia, Modi responded to Mamata’s comments on Tuesday in which she had said the Prime Minister would a get a “tight slap of democracy”. “I heard Didi wants to slap Modi. Didi… oh..Mamata Didi.. I respect you as I call you Didi.. Your slap will be a blessing for me,” Modi said.

Then, wearing his characteristic smirk, he raked up the “chit fund issue” and spliced it with the “slap” row. “I must say that had you also slapped your friends, who earned money from chit funds, you would not have felt so afraid.”

CM’s response: “I did not tell you that I will slap you.. I told that it will be a slap of democracy. Why will I slap you? The slap of democracy would come from the people with their votes,” she said at her rally in Purulia.

Mamata Banerjee speaks at the Kamlibandh ground near Bankura on Thursday. Picture by Rupesh Khan

Water woes

PM’s charge: Modi claimed in Purulia that “he was aware of the problem of scarcity of water” in the district and blamed the Trinamul government.

“There is a scarcity of drinking water and after the new government is formed, we will set up a separate ministry for water supply, Jal Shakti Mantranalay, and all your problems would be solved,” Modi said.

CM’s response: Mamata seemed livid at Modi’s water-related charges, asking Modi asking why he had thought about the new ministry after five years.

“You roamed around for five years and now you are talking about setting up a new ministry. Listen, there is already a department called public health engineering, which looks after the water supply. We have already taken a project and the problem will be resolved,” the chief minister said.

Tussle on Tagore

PM’s charge: Modi used Tagore’s famous lines — ‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high” — to take a swipe at Mamata.

“Tagore’s ideology was first broken by the CPM and then the Congress. Now Didi is breaking the ideas of Gurdev into pieces,” he said.

CM’s response: On Tagore’s birth anniversary, Mamata couldn’t digest the barb.

“He (Modi) is taking about Rabindranath Tagore. He only knows one line — Chitta Jetha bhoi sunyo…. (where the mind is without fear)..But there are so many Tagore poems,” Mamata said and recited at least 10 Tagore songs and poems from the dais in Purulia.

The National Anthem followed.

Final fusillade

Both Modi and Mamata reminded each other of May 23 — counting day.

“The BJP’s death knell will be sounded on May 23. He is not fit to become Prime Minister. Look at the language he uses. He can’t be compared with even a councillor,” Mamata said at her Bankura rally.

Modi’s reply in Purulia: “The Trinamul government will get the first alert on May 23 when the result will be out,” Modi said. In Bankura, the Prime Minister said Mamata was disrespecting the Constitution by not accepting him as Prime Minister. “She accepts the Pakistani PM, but not the Indian PM.”