In Sandeshkhali outreach, Mamata asks locals not to pay bribes for schemes, bats for women rights

The CM was addressing an official public distribution programme at the Rishi Aurobindo Mission ground in Sandeshkhali. She had announced last week that she would attend this event as per her promise made during the campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The TMC’s Sandeshkhali unit made elaborate preparations to welcome Mamata for the event. “The entire Sandeshkhali island, especially those roads leading to Mission ground, were covered with flags,” said a local TMC activist. “We did not see such a large number of TMC flags even during the Lok Saha elections. Also, the gathering in the ground was huge.”

Sandeshkhali was in the news earlier this year due to widespread protests by local people, including women, over various incidents of sexual assault and land grabbing allegedly involving suspended TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his two aides, Shibu Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar.
On January 5, Sheikh Shahjahan’s supporters allegedly attacked three Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Sandeshkhali, when they had gone to raid his residence in connection with the ration distribution “scam”.

On February 8, several local women of Sandeshkhali took to the streets with brooms and sticks, and blocked the road demanding immediate arrest of Shahjahan and his aides.

While the BJP went all out to rake up the Sandeshkhali trouble to put the Mamata dispensation in the dock, the TMC accused the BJP of allegedly “orchestrating” it to tarnish its government’s image.

On February 15, the CM said in the Assembly that a “sinister design” was at play in Sandeshkhali. “It has come to light how BJP workers have been brought and how violence has been instigated in the area (Sandeshkhali). The primary target was (TMC leader) Sheikh Shahjahan and ED entered the area targeting him. Following this, they ousted everyone from there and fabricated an adivasis (tribals) versus minorities fight,” she alleged. “It is not new. The RSS has a base there. Riots took place there seven to eight years back. It is one of the vulnerable riot spots. We handled the situation strongly during Saraswati Puja or else there were other plans.”

Shahjahan was arrested on February 29 after being on the run for around two months. He as well as Hazra and Sardar have now been in judicial custody.

In her speech Monday, Mamata referred to the land registration problems, saying “Duare Sarkar (TMC government’s programme to ensure the delivery of schemes to people) will be held in Sandeshkhali from January last week to February first week. The local people can resolve their land registration issues there. I know there are some land-related problems here.”

Targeting the BJP, the TMC chief said, “I know everything, how money played a big role in Sandeshkhali (unrest). But, you can see, lies don’t last for long. Truth always prevails. I have forgotten everything. I want Sandeshkhali to move ahead. Boys and girls of Sandeshkhali should move ahead and become successful in their lives. Sandeshkhali should not be a place for riots.”

Mamata also told the residents: “Don’t give money to anybody to get any government scheme. This is government money, it belongs to people, to you. Your money is being returned (in the form of schemes) for your benefits.”

The CM urged local women “not to go anywhere if someone asks them to” as it is their right to get various government schemes at their doorsteps. She maintained that mothers and sisters are the pride of the nation.

Interestingly, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is going to hold a “Jana Sanjog Yatra” in Sandeshkhali on Tuesday.

On Monday, Adhikari criticised Mamata for asking people to forget the past. He also claimed that many women residents of Sandeshkhali skipped the CM’s event.

On Saturday, Adhikari had said he stood by Sandeshkhali during difficult times. “The CM is going. It is good, I will do a programme the next day (December 31). I may not be able to organise a big event like the CM,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the TMC government’s distribution programme, he claimed, “Even if the CM goes and gives one crore rupees, the people of the SC, ST community will not vote for Trinamool!”

Mamata has been buoyed by the TMC’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls in which her party bagged 29 of 42 seats in the state as against the BJP’s 12. Since then, the TMC has also swept all 10 Assembly seats in the bypolls.