Kolkata: In the shadow of Sandeshkhali controversy, which the Opposition BJP made a rallying point to corner Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, the ruling party will launch its Lok Sabha poll campaign with a grand rally on Sunday at Kolkata’s famed Brigade Parade Grounds, where the party supremo is expected to sound the poll bugle for the upcoming elections.
Projected as ‘Jana Garjan Sabha’, the mega event will feature three platforms, including a cross ramp, with Mamata Banerjee and TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee taking centre-stage as the main speakers.
The rally’s overarching theme revolves around the alleged withholding of the state’s financial dues by the central government, a contentious issue that has dominated state politics for the past two years.
Lakhs of supporters and numerous block-level leaders were seen in the morning flocking from different districts to hear their leader, affectionately called ‘Didi’. “We are organising a rally at Brigade Parade Grounds after a long time. It is going to be a historic event. Our party supremo Mamata Banerjee will give a message which we will take to every nook and corner of West Bengal and ensure the defeat of the BJP in all the 42 Lok Sabha seats of the state,” TMC leader Firhad Hakim said.
The TMC’s mega rally at the Brigade Parade Grounds, a historic site initially established as a parade ground during the British colonial era, holds significance as this is the party’s first large-scale gathering at Maidan since the January 2019 opposition meeting, where leaders from 19 opposition parties joined forces in a display of solidarity.
Despite its well-entrenched grassroots organisation, the TMC’s tally dropped to 22 seats from 34 in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, whereas BJP clocked an impressive performance by clinching 18 seats in the state. Sources within the TMC suggested the possibility of significant defections from other political parties, particularly the BJP, which has seen eight MLAs and two MPs crossing over to the ruling party in the state since the 2021 assembly polls.
In a departure from conventional rally setups, the Trinamool Congress has opted for ramps to facilitate closer interaction between leaders and supporters during speeches. The three main stages interconnected by ramps aim to enhance engagement and connect with the grassroots. Meanwhile, the BJP has derided the TMC’s programme, branding it as the party’s ‘farewell rally.’
Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari disparaged TMC’s leaders as “goons and corrupt,” predicting their ‘impending downfall.’ In a countermove, the BJP plans to hold a rally in Sandeshkhali, where allegations of sexual abuse against TMC leaders have surfaced.
Meanwhile, amid the ongoing furore over the Sandeshkhali row, BJP MP Dilip Ghosh hit out at the TMC-led West Bengal government and alleged that the party is trying to “Save” Sheikh Shahjahan.
He further said, “The state ruling party was forced to arrest him, but they tried to save him from the court. Now, they are trying to hide his documents, including his mobile phone. However, the ED and CBI have begun their investigation, and everything will be cleared.”
Meanwhile, Sheikh was accused of sexual abuse, land-grabbing in Bengal’s Sandeshkhali, and attacking an ED team, and is currently under the custody of the CBI.
Tearing into the Mamata-led government over allegations of “sexual abuse” and “land grab” in the Sandeshkhali area, Dilip Ghosh earlier charged the ruling party with shielding goons and rapists present in “every nook and corner” of the state.
The BJP MP further alleged that the TMC had protected a criminal and a rapist for over two months, referring to the arrest of TMC strongman Shahjahan.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi over changing the status of Kashmir post-abrogation of Article 370, the BJP MP cited that if the PM can turn the Kashmir issue cool, it will take him only 2 minutes to mellow the ongoing Bengal issues.