India, March 14 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a BJP rally in Kolkata on Saturday, sought to appeal to West Bengal's regional sentiment directly as he started his speech by greeting the crowd in Bangla.

"My dear brothers and sisters of West Bengal, I offer my heartfelt greetings from the depths of my heart," he said, in the Bengali language. Watch video below:

He went on to praise the state as a place that pioneers new thinking. "The massive crowd at Brigade Parade Ground today is testimony to what Bengal is thinking today," he said, continuing in Hindi.

He claimed that since "change is imminent", the ruling Trinamool Congress led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is "perplexed".

"No matter how hard this tyrannical government her...