Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is a "speed breaker" in the path of West Bengal's development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, insisting she has to go to make way for the betterment of the state.

Modi also took on the Congress over its manifesto that talks about reviewing some clauses of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), saying it acts like a "shield" for the security forces in the fight against terrorists.

"They (the Congress) want our defence forces to be helpless... their hands and feet tied," Modi said and accused the Congress and its allies of sympathising with Pakistan.

"'Didi' (Mamata Banerjee) is a speed breaker in the path of West Bengal's development," Modi said in his first public rally on Banerjee's turf after the general elections were announced.

Claiming that Banerjee has put a spanner in several central schemes for the uplift of the poor, Modi said "speed breaker Didi" has not allowed people of Bengal to benefit from Ayushman Bharat scheme.

"I am waiting for this speed breaker to go so development can gather speed," he said.

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First Published:Apr 3, 2019 3:07 PM IST