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| History in Medinipur |
Medinipur (West Bengal)
Bringing an end to all speculation, days after quitting Trinamool Congress, a key 'mass leader' in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday joined BJP in presence of Union Home Minister and the saffron party's chief architect of organisational growth - Amit Shah.
The mega event was also graced by a number of sitting and former Trinamool Congress lawmakers,
state legislators and even leaders from Congress and the Left parties - who also joined the BJP
giving the Lotus party a major edge in their battle against Mamata Banerjee in the warcry of 2021.
Amit Shah joyously welcomed Suvendu's decision to join the BJP and said Adhikari has stood up against
Mamata as she deviated from the ideology of "Maa, Maati aur Maanus" to "nepotism and appeasement politics".
"Slogan of any party is always good; but with the Trinamool, the cherished slogan of Ma, Mati and Manush was transformed into politics of Tolabaaz (corruption and extortion), appeasement (of Muslims) and a politics that gave
unbridled authorities to her Bhaipo (nephew)", Mr Shah said in presence of leaders such as Dilip Ghosh, Kailash
Vijayvargiya and Mukul Roy.
In his spirited speech, Adhikari said, "a former Trinamool leader Mukul Roy always used to encourage me to
take a decision to uphold my self respect and I am happy that I could do it today".
As many as 11 MLAs, a sitting MP and a former lawmaker joined BJP.
Besides Suvendu Adhikari, who was MLA from politically sensitive Nandigram, Tapasi Mondal, Ashoke Dinda,
Sudip Mukherjee (Congress), Saikat Panja, Shilbhadra Dutta, Dipali Biswas, Sukra Munda, Shyamapda Mukherjee,
Biswajit Kundu, Banasri Maity, Satyan Roy, Dashrath Tirkey and Bardhaman East MP Sunil Mondal joined the
saffron party.
The mega event at Medinipur College ground marks a new beginning in West Bengal politics as the event
is only expected to further escalate BJP's battle to wrest power in the erstwhile Left bastion and where BJP
was a negligible force even a few years ago.
In a dramatic change in political scenario in the state, the BJP has now emerged as a key competitor to
the Trinamool Congress pushing the erstwhile dominant Left Front and the Congress party into the periphery.
BJP's rise began with 2019 Lok Sabha polls when the party could win as many as 18 seats as against its
paltry 7 MLAs in the state assembly polls in 2016.
Among those who joined the saffron party are Tapsi Mondal, Haldia MLA from CPI-M.
On the background of the stage was a catchy slogan 'aar noe anyae (No More Injustice)'.
In his spirited speech, Suvendu Adhikari said he was a true soldier of Trinamool Congress and it is also
true that in 2019 he had given a slogan of 'BJP Hatao', but now everything is changed;
"and from tomorrow, I shall say Tolabaaz Bhaipo Hatao (Let us get rid of Nephew)' - a crystal clear message
against Mamata's nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
Shah also took a dig at Mamata Banerjee. "Why are so many people leaving Trinamool Congress?
Because of the misrule, corruption and nepotism of Mamata Banerjee. Didi, this is just the beginning.
By the time elections come, you will be left all alone," he cautioned the Chief Minister, who had unseated
the communists in a high voltage battle in 2011.
Both Mr Shah and Mr Adhikari's reference to growing discontent among the people and party leaders
is actually triggered by Mamata's dependence on her nephew and new found advisors like Prashant Kishore.
Suvendu also said: "I have a long association with Amit Shah ji. I have been loved by him
like an elder brother. When I was afflicted by COVID-19, no one from the Trinamool for whom I have given 21 years of my life, asked me how I was. But Amit Shahji enquired about me twice".
BJP leader Rahul Sinha took advantage of the occasion and sought to caution the policemen against 'taking
sides' in a political battle between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress.
Lately, the centre and Mamata regime also fought over transfer of three senior IPS officers.
The Trinamool dissident first resigned from the cabinet on November 27 and then from the party on
December 16. His supporters - calling themselves 'Dada's footsoldiers' - had promised a political storm
more fierce than Cyclone Amphan to sweep across West Bengal.
ends
Politcs set for a date with Amit Shah's Bengal visit
Nirendra Dev
New Delhi: West Bengal is all set for a date with political destiny on December 19 - Saturday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will make two-day visit to the Mamata Banerjee-ruled state beginning Friday evening wherein summer of 2021 is set to witness mother of all elections.
According to programme released by BJP central leadership, Mr Shah will
offer prayers at Siddheswari Temple and pay floral tribute to revolutionary freedom fighter Khudiram Bose in West Medinipur on Saturday.
Sources also revealed that on Saturday, the Home Minister will have lunch at the residence of one Jhunu Singh at Balijhuri village in Medinipur. Singh is a leader of a deprived section of people in the village. Posto Shakh, Lao-mugh dal and sweet will be part of the menu.
The Home Minister will pay floral tributes to Swami Vivekananda at Ramakrishna Mission, Kolkata and will offer prayers at Devi Mahamaya Mandir in Medinipur.
He will also address a public meeting 19 Dec afternoon at Midnapore College Ground, Midnapore.
The visit by Home Minister comes close on the heels of a high profile trip of BJP chief J P Nadda, - whose tour was however marred by stone pelting on the convoy leading to serious confrontation between the centre and Ms Banerjee-led regime in the state.
Shah's visit also assumes significance as a number of prominent Trinamool leaders including 'mass leader' Suvendu Adhikari have quit the state-based party sparking off political ripples. Speculation is rife that a number of Trinamool leaders would join the BJP.
"It is combination of good batting by BJP and bad bowling by Trinamool leadership that is leaving Mamata camp deserted," says a local BJP leader Ashutosh Sen in Malda.
Among others, Jitendra Tiwari, Shyamprasad Mukherjee, Shilbhadra Dutta and Feroz Qamal Gazi.
A number of Trinamool leaders from Bishnupur area also quit the party and most of them may join BJP sooner than later.
In a dramatic change in political scenario in the state, the BJP has now emerged as a key competitor to the Trinamool Congress pushing the erstwhile dominant Left Front and the Congress party into the periphery.
Trinamool Congress has meanwhile tried to drag Shah into a row over a poster that shows the Home Minister in more prominent size than the world poet Rabindranath Tagore.
"Mr Amit Shah your pompous nature and disconnect with the culture of Bengal has surfaced once again," senior Trinamool leader Partha Chatterjee tweeted. "This is exactly why you will remain outsiders to us".
The BJP-Trinamool tussle has been now led to a bitter rivalry between the two parties on the issues of 'local outsiders' card as pushed by TMC as against the nationalism and 'genuine Parivartan' call given by the saffron party.
Lately, the centre and Mamata regime also fought over transfer of three senior IPS officers.
'Angry' rural Bengal concerned about Bangladeshi infiltration
Nirendra Dev
Malda/Islampur
Rural Bengal gives an angry look these days. The mood is palpably of grievance against the political class.
In the run up to the assembly polls of 2021, some voters say being 'asha-vadi optimistic' is also perhaps being revolutionary in today's world as the north Bengal is in an era where lip service abounds and hypocrisy prevails.
Not far from Naxalbari, where peasants' protest once turned bloody, the 44-year-old Bidyut Kanti Pal says, "Politics
of Hindu-Muslim has grown stronger here over last two years and this is why Mamata Banerjee's series of
welfare measures and dole-outs did not help much in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections".
Besides key North Bengal constituencies, the BJP's penetration was significant
in the state's agriculture-rich constituencies of Hooghly and Bardhaman-Durgapur, he explains.
Voters are concerned about 'infiltration' of Bangladeshis and in many corner there is suspicion that 'local political backing' is also helping Rohingas to sneak in.
Others say the violence of 2018 panchayat elections have left people anguished and thus while Trinamool
suffered in pastoral areas, the Didi's party - however- did well in most urban constituencies.
Of the 12 seats Trinamool lost out of the 34 it had won in 2014 in the state, most were in remote and far-flung locations.
"I say logic fails as Trinamool's Kanyashree scheme is very popular. Admired by the UN and also implemented in other states,
under the scheme, the state provides a one-time grant of Rs 25,000 once a girl reaches the age of 18 and
continues her studies. But when it came to voting, even womenfolk did not help Didi apparently," lamented Islampur-based
Trinamool worker Roba Sen.
However, the general refrain among Muslim voters in rural Bengal too has been that they would generally stick to Didi.
"However, the possible division among Muslim voters is an issue. Mamata Banerjee has set up Aliah University, a minority education institution with a budget of Rs 257 crore. But the BJP campaign seems to be powerful. Several Hindus
in these pockets have shifted loyalties especially those who earlier backed the communists," she explains.
The scheme of providing financial assistance to Imams and Moazzins - numbering an estimated 63,000 plus
has irked Hindus and this was well exploited by the BJP.
In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP vote share in the state jumped from 17 per cent to 40.2 per cent. Ms Banerjee's
party also recorded an increase from 39 per cent to 43 per cent. "This happened though, Trinamool seats came down from
34 to 22. Increase in Trinamool vote percentage meant that the Muslim community voted en masse for Didi, says a local
trader Iqbal Nawaz.
Of course, such shift of Muslim votes had resulted in massive drop in CPI(M)-led Left Front vote share from 29.9 per cent
to 7.5 per cent between 2014 and 2019. These mean Congress and the Leftists would be further marginalised in near future, say
local political workers.
According to a Trinamool booth worker in Siliguri, here comes the challenge for his party. "Keeping Muslim base intact
would be a difficult proposition for us where as the BJP has multiple machinations to work. Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM
and a local Muslim cleric Pirzada Abbas Siddiqui could in effect eat into Mamata's support base among Muslims," he says.
In November, a video went viral, say locals - that showed Siddiqui indulging in fear mongering - “If we do not come to power next time, they (Hindus) will rape our women in front of our eyes. You cannot do anything if you do not have power in your hands".
Common citizenry in Malda says such statements would only help the BJP in the long run.
AIMIM chief Owaisi has already held a meeting in Hyderabad and made it clear that his party will contest state
assembly elections in Bengal for sure.
AIMIM picked up five seats in Bihar and four of them were in constituencies adjoining Mamata Banerjee's state.
The saffron party leaders in Malda-Murshidabad region also say that since 2011, when the last census was carried out;
the Muslim population in West Bengal grew by 1.77 percent and on the contrary, the Hindu population has reportedly declined
by 1.9 per cent.
These have only given additional political ammunition to the Lotus party. Samik Bhattacharya, state BJP leader, says
there is a well planned out conspiracy by Trinamool and police for 'mass infiltration' of Muslim immigrants from
neighbouring Bangladesh.
These leaders say Hindus have been outnumbered in Malda, Murshidabad Uttar Dinajpur districts.
In this context, political observers say the BJP has tried to ensure a deeper penetration by talking about
Mamata's alleged 'disruption' of Durga puja celebrations and also organised a series of events during the last two
years to celebrate 'Ram Navami' and 'Hanuman Jayanti'.
Of course, these two festivals were generally not very common socio-religious functions among Bengalis till few years ago.
A retired trade union leader says in this context, the Mamata-led party actually made some mistakes or
has done very little to help itself.
The Chief Minister initially dismissed these as 'North Indian festivals' and said the 'outsiders' are trying to
push their 'cultural hegemony' in her state as against
However, locals say at a later stage, the Trinamool leadership took corrective steps
and participated in several Hindu religious festivals. Mamata Banerjee herself honoured
Hindu priests and Hindu religious singers.
"We will try to pay an assistance of Rs 1000 to Bahmin (priests)," she said at a public function.
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