Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will, for the first time in Kolkata, take a metro ride from Jessore Road Metro Station to Jai Hind Bimanbandar and back after flagging off metro services on newly constructed sections at around 4:15 pm on Friday.
After inaugurating and laying the foundation of several projects in Bihar earlier in the day, the Prime Minister will arrive in Kolkata in the afternoon and is likely to interact with common people during his nearly 45-minute metro ride.
According to the schedule, he will first reach the newly built Jessore Road Metro Station. From there, he will formally inaugurate the Noapara–Jai Hind Bimanbandar stretch of the Yellow Line (Noapara–Barasat).
He will also inaugurate, via video conferencing, the Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (Ruby)–Beleghata stretch of the Orange Line (New Garia–Airport) and the Esplanade–Sealdah section of the Green Line (Sector V–Howrah Maidan).
Following the flag-off, Modi will board the metro at Jessore Road station, travel to Jai Hind Bimanbandar (Airport), and return by metro to Jessore Road. Thereafter, he will proceed
by road to the rally venue in Dum Dum.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has said that the Prime Minister will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of several other projects worth over Rs 5,200 crore.
Ahead of the public rally, he will lay the foundation for the six-lane elevated Kona Expressway
project from the administrative stage. The 7.2 km expressway will cost around Rs 1,200 crore.
In a post on X, Modi wrote, “It is always a delight to be among the people of Kolkata, a city whose development we are greatly committed to. Tomorrow’s programmes in the city are mainly focussed on connectivity. The metro services, which will be flagged off, include Noapara–Jai Hind Bimanbandar, Sealdah–Esplanade and Beleghata–Hemanta Mukhopadhyay routes. Connectivity to and from the airport as well as the IT hub areas will be enhanced.”
This will be Modi’s third visit to West Bengal in the past three months. Like the previous occasions, his trip will include both administrative and political programmes.
Party insiders say his address is likely to focus on three themes — corruption, development, and Bengali identity.
Modi himself wrote on X: “I am eager to be among BJP Bengal Karyakartas at a rally in Kolkata. With each passing day, public anger against the TMC is increasing. West Bengal is eagerly looking towards the BJP with hope because of our development agenda.”
In his earlier rallies — at Alipurduar on May 29 and Durgapur on July 18 — Modi had strongly attacked the Trinamool Congress government over corruption. The BJP has already taken a policy decision to make “unchecked corruption” a major issue against the ruling party in West Bengal.
At the Durgapur rally, the Prime Minister had gone beyond alleging embezzlement of government funds. He had claimed that widespread corruption was pushing Bengal’s economy into decline, driving away fresh investments, forcing older investors to exit, and thereby reducing employment opportunities.
