If voted to power in Bengal, BJP CM will be son of soil: PM Modi

New Delhi: Bengal has brought together the nation through 'Vande Mataram', and on this land, CM Mamata Banerjee was terming people "bohiragoto", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, announcing that if voted to power, a son of the soil will be made the BJP chief minister of the state.

Addressing an election rally in Kanthi in the Purba Medinipur district, Modi said that Bengal was the land of icons like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore and Subhas Chandra Bose and on this land, no Indian was an outsider.

"Bengal brought together the people of India through Vande Mataram, and on that land, Mamata-didi is talking about 'bohiragoto' (outsider). No Indian is an outsider here, they are children of Bharat Mata," he said.

"We are being called 'tourists', fun is being made of us, we are being insulted. Didi, people of Rabindranath's Bengal don't consider anybody outsider," Modi added.

When the BJP forms government in Bengal, the chief minister will be a son of the soil, he said at the rally amid loud cheers from his supporters.

Modi's comments came amid an "insider vs outsider" debate with Banerjee asserting regularly that she won't allow Bengal to be ruled by "outsiders" from Delhi or Gujarat, in a reference to the BJP and the prime minister.

The prime minister said that Banerjee was talking about 'Duare Sarkar' (government at doorstep), while she will be shown the door on May 2.