Abhishek Banerjee tries to shore up TMC’s image with yatra, attempts to stem chaos

Abhishek is considered to be the de facto number two in the party after his aunt and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Meanwhile, from clicking selfies to having lunch at a villager’s house, the TMC national general secretary, considered to be the de facto number two in the party after his aunt and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is going the extra mile to reach out to people during the Yatra. Abhishek is set to hold more than 250 rallies during the yatra.

On Saturday, Abhishek first made his way to the Jatileswar temple in Maynaguri block, about 30 km from Jalpaiguri town around 1 pm. Locals there said they had started queuing up from 8 am to catch a glimpse of the TMC leader. After praying at the temple, the TMC MP greeted locals and felicitated music artist Mangala Kanta Roy, a Padma Shri awardee.

From there, Abhishek went to the Bhotepatty Hospital Ground, about 17 km away, to address a rally. “Due to the non-implementation of MGNREGS, more than 20 lakh people are jobless. I went to the Union Minister concerned in Delhi along with party MPs over the issue but he did not meet,” he alleged.

On Saturday, Abhishek first made his way to the Jatileswar temple in Maynaguri block, about 30 km from Jalpaiguri town around 1 pm. Locals there said they had started queuing up from 8 am to catch a glimpse of the TMC leader. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

He added, “I have left home to make this campaign successful. I will not go to Kolkata even for a day for 60 days at a stretch. I am doing all this so that the right set of public representatives is identified. You will decide your leader.”

Abhishek reiterated that only those who had worked for the party on the ground and were chosen by party workers would contest the panchayat elections. He appealed to TMC workers to write their preferred names. But soon after he left for Domohani, about 17 km away, the crowd rushed to the stage and TMC workers were seen snatching ballot papers. This forced the police to intervene and bring the situation under control.

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee is currently on a two-month, 3,500-km journey across West Bengal on a public outreach campaign for the party. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

“I came here to put a name in the ballot box. Someone told me everyone has to do it and like Lakshmir Bhandar (welfare scheme) we will get something,” said 66-year-old Nirmala Das, a local resident. Another woman, who identified herself as Damayanti Debnath, said she had come to hear Abhishek and then speak with him. “I wanted to speak with him but there are so many barricades here. I was unable to reach out to him. My husband is handicapped I wanted some help,” said a disappointed Debnath as he made her way out of the ground.

Though the outreach programme has had a promising response, the chaos over the balloting exercise has overshadowed it at times. Apart from Bhotepatty, disorderly conduct was also reported from the Paharpur village panchayat polling centre in the Phulbari area.

BJP the target

In Domohani, the TMC leader greeted people at the local market. “Didi r barir chele, sobar sathe mishti hashi mukhe kotha bollo (He is from Mamata Banerjee’s family; he met everyone with a smile on his face),” said 52-year-old Sabita Roy after Abhishek sought her blessings. Abhishek then went to local villager Jiban Rahut’s home for lunch. There, the TMC leader was served a meal of rice, daal, fried vegetables, vegetable curry, and Hilsa fish curry.

Rahut said Abhishek had promised last year to have lunch with his family. In July, the TMC leader made an unscheduled stop at Domohani Bazar on his way to a public meeting in Dhupguri. During an interaction with locals, he was requested to get the market renovated. The MP then ordered local civic body officials to look into the matter and the market was repaired for Rs 80 lakh. The Rahut family was among those in the crowd that day and had met the CM’s nephew.

“We are glad, the best thing was that last time we had offered him lunch but he promised us that he would return and eat at our home. We are not from any party but it feels good that he came and had lunch with us,” said Jiban Rahut.

At an event later in the day, Abhishek took aim at the BJP. “Half of the 80 village panchayats (in Jalpaiguri) went to the BJP in the last rural body elections. We don’t believe in discrimination like the (Narendra) Modi government, which is depriving West Bengal of its dues,” Abhishek said at another rally.

He added, “The BJP believes in separatism and the balkanisation of the region (north Bengal) to serve its narrow interests and not for development. However, the separate statehood agenda won’t be realised and it has also not undertaken any development initiatives.”

Referring to last week’s violence in Uttar Dinajpur, Abhishek earlier said in Bhotepatty, “I will suggest to the BJP that it should work. Their behaviour shows they have no political work. We are talking to people and hearing their grievances. Someone said he doesn’t have a house, someone wants proper roads or a proper water supply. I will tell them (BJP) if not for 60 days, at least be on the road with people for two to three days.”