Kolkata, May 9 (IANS): Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday claimed the people of West Bengal will be better off if they shift their allegiance towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He also accused the Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal government of sponsoring the pre-Panchayat poll violence in the state.

"Time has come when the people in Bengal have started realising there is only one alternative for them. As soon as they revert to the alternative, which I proudly say is the BJP, there will be better days for the people of Bengal," the Minister said on the sidelines of an event at the Indian Museum here.

"It (the violence) is most unfortunate, most unprecedented. I think never in the history of Indian election, have we seen such highly sophisticated quality of rigging even before the election," said Harsh Vardhan, also the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

"The violence of this nature is supported and backed by the ruling party (Trinamool Congress) and the state government. I think the government has to understand that they cannot fool the people of this country for all times to come," he added.