New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress on Monday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi over breaking Jhalmuri in West Bengal’s Jhargram and claimed that his decision to extend his stay led to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren returning to Ranchi without completing his scheduled campaign for Mamata Banerjee.In a social media post on Twitter, TMC termed the Prime Minister’s apparent break as a “photo opp” and accused him of insulting a tribal leader.The party said, “Narendra Modi’s anti-tribal mindset has been exposed for all to see. Because the ‘Pradhan Sevak’ decided to extend his stay in Jhargram to eat Jhalmuri, Jharkhand Chief Minister Shri Hemant Soren and his wife and MLA Smt. Kalpana Soren were not allowed to fly their helicopter over Jhargram while Modi was present there.”“Two democratically elected leaders. Grounded. Kept waiting for hours. And ultimately forced to return to Ranchi without completing their scheduled programme, all because a Prime Minister’s long snack breaks and photo sessions took priority over their democratic rights and constitutional position. This is Modi’s respect for tribal leaders. This is respect for elected representatives who do not kneel before him. He came to Jhargram to garner tribal votes. He humiliated those people. Whom he claimed to stand with. Bengal saw it. And Bengal will remember it on May 4.”This came as PM Modi took a Jhalmuri leave on Sunday amid the hustle, bustle and political heat of West Bengal, where the BJP, under his leadership, is posing a tough challenge to Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year rule.Also read: ‘Do you eat onions?’ PM Modi took ‘Jhalmuri break’ during Bengal election campaign – seeAfter concluding his address in Jhargram, PM Modi went to a Jhalmuri stall and said, “Brother, feed us your Jhalmuri.”As the vendor prepared the breakfast, the Prime Minister chatted with him briefly and asked, “How much does Jhalmuri cost?” After this he put his hand in the pocket of his Nehru jacket to make the payment.Meanwhile the vendor asked, “Do you eat onion?” The PM replied, “Yes, we eat onions. Just don’t eat our brains.”PM Modi held several rallies across Bengal on Sunday, addressing meetings in Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and Medinipur, further intensifying the already heated competition between TMC and BJP.In Jhargram, the Prime Minister talked about the bigger national controversy that dominated political discussion all week, the collapse of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026, which sought to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 and implement the women’s reservation law.PM Modi accused the ruling TMC of being anti-tribal and anti-women and turning a blind eye to local grievances, including illegal land grabs.PM Modi said women of Bengal have been deprived of their rights, security and economic opportunities under the TMC rule, adding that women empowerment remains a key priority for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).The PM said, “You gave 15 years to the ruthless TMC government. What did the ruthless TMC government give you in these 15 years? What did the tribal areas get? Na padai, na kaami, na dawai, na sinchai (no studies, no earnings, no medicines and no irrigation)… If you want to build even a small house, you will have to depend on the TMC syndicate. Whether you are a TMC MP or an MLA. They do not care about your problems, these people are only interested in their own.” Interested in filling the safe. Here TMC has captured hundreds of acres of land of tribals.Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases – on April 23 and April 29. Counting of votes will take place on May 4.