Defectors debut at BJP’s Howrah rally

HOWRAH: All six Trinamool Congress defectors, including three heavyweights from Howrah, showed up at the BJP rally here on Sunday, prompting Union home minister Amit Shah to say in his virtual address that Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee would be left alone by the time elections were held in West Bengal.
“So many leaders from Trinamool have joined BJP in the last three months.Mamata-ji should introspect why this is happening… By the time polls are held, you (Banerjee) will be left alone,” Shah said, highlighting the continuing desertions from Trinamool, the first rush to BJP led by Suvendu Adhikari and the second by Rajib Banerjee.
The Union home minister said the Trinamool government in the last 10 years had taken Bengal further down the slide from where the Communists had left off. “Mamata-ji gave the ‘Ma Mati Manush’ slogan 10 years ago to bring about ‘paribartan’ from Communist rule. Turning back to this 10-year rule, the ‘Ma Mati Manush’ slogan gave in to tanashahi (autocracy), tolabazi (cut money) and tushtikaran (appeasement). Mamata-ji, people of Bengal won’t forgive you,” he said.
Without taking names, Shah further said: “The only agenda of TMC has been to make the bhatija the chief minister. It has been working for bhatija kalyan (nephew’s welfare).” BJP seniors from Shah to party president J P Nadda have been harping on the “bhatija” theme.
In support of his claim, the BJP leader pointed out how the Trinamool government blocked the Centre’s welfare schemes such as Ayushman Bharat and PM Jan Dhan Yojana in Bengal when people in other states had received the benefits. “Mamata-ji, what harm did the poor people in Bengal do to you? Why was Bengal deprived of these benefits? Recently, the Bengal government told us it wants direct cash transfers to farmers. This is another trick,” he said.
“Sending a (consent) paper isn’t enough. How will the funds be transferred? You (chief minister Banerjee) have to send the list of beneficiaries along with their personal bank account numbers. I can assure you that if BJP comes to power, it will take a decision on Ayushman Bharat in the first cabinet meeting,” Shah said.
While the home minister took on the Trinamool government on the development front, Union textiles minister Smriti Irani, who attended the BJP public gathering at Howrah’s Dumurjala, hit out at Bengal’s ruling party over its “contempt” for the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan. “No one can stay in a party that insults Jai Shri Ram slogan,” Irani said, peppering BJP’s development narrative with a dose of polarization.
Irani used Bengali coinages to woo voters —TMC jachhe, BJP ashchhe (Trinamool is on its way out, BJP is coming), Chup chaap padme chhap (silently press the lotus button). But the Union home minister’s absence reflected in the rally turnout even as Trinamool-turned-BJP leader Rajib vowed to take the (party symbol) lotus to households of Bengal.
Bally MLA Baishali Dalmiya, Uttarpara MLA Prabir Ghoshal, former Howrah mayor Rathin Chakravarty, former Ranaghat civic chief Partha Sarathi Chatterjee and actor-turned-politician Rudranil Ghosh were present on the dais at BJP’s Dumurjala show.