Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 27: With the polling for the by-election for the Bhabanipur seat to the West Bengal state Assembly scheduled on Thursday, a must for Mamata Banerjee to win to stay as the chief minister, the Trinamool Congress and the BJP workers clashed on the last day of campaigning on Monday, both the parties accusing each other of instigating trouble.
The BJP claimed that its senior leader, the former state BJP president and now one of the national vice-presidents, Dillip Ghosh, was “ kicked, pushed and heckled” forcing him to cut short his campaigning for the party candidate while the TMC hit back counter-claiming that it was Ghosh’s security staff “brandishing guns” at the public instigated trouble.
“What kind of democracy is prevailing in West Bengal” If a senior leader like Ghosh can be manhandled, what is the security of the common people? How will people vote fearlessly in the constituency?” the state BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar asked.
The BJP claimed that Ghosh was physically pushed by Trinamool workers, manhandled and faced “go back” slogans from ruling Trinamool Congress workers when he went inside a vaccination camp. But the Trinamool alleged that his security had threatened people with guns. “BJP hits a new low. How dare a gun be aimed at (the) public in broad daylight? Do people not have the right to protest against leaders they do not support? Such blatant violation of human rights is shameful! This compromises the safety and security of people in Bhabanipur!” Trinamool tweeted.
Ghosh was reportedly escorted out of the camp by his security personnel and left in his car. “We will take up the issue with the Election Commission. What kind of election this is?” he fumed while speaking to reporters.
“People were angry at him and they expressed it today. But his security guards brandished their pistols on such people and Ghosh provoked his security guards to brandish weapons. We do not support such protests. But Ghosh should have restrained himself from making controversial remarks against Mamata Banerjee,” TMC MP Saugata Roy said.
The BJP has been campaigning aggressively in Bhabanipur and has fielded lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal against Mamata Banerjee, who has to win this by-poll to stay Chief Minister. No other opposition parties, except the CPM, have fielded candidates in Bhabanipur and other than the two main rivals, only a few independents are also in the fray.
Earlier, Arjun Singh, a BJP MP, also faced slogans of “go back” and “outsider” as he and Ghosh canvassed for votes. They alleged that a party worker was thrashed by Trinamool supporters and had to be taken to hospital bleeding from head.
Banerjee, who lost the Nandigram election in May, has to get elected to the state Assembly by the first week of November to stay as the chief minister and after Bhabanipur and two other constituencies in West Bengal going to polls on September 30, no other by-elections are due before November.
Trinamool leader Firhad Hakim, a close aide of Mamata Banerjee, accused the BJP of inciting a “peaceful middle class neighbourhood” in its desperation to defeat the Chief Minister. “BJP is resorting to provocation sensing defeat. It is better to ignore them. Common people are protesting against them for spreading hatred, falsehood and personal attacks,” Hakim said.
In a separate development, BJP MP Locket Chatterjee tweeted urging Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh to focus on ensuring Banerjee didn’t lose. Her tweet was a response to Kunal Ghosh thanking her for “avoiding campaigning in Bhabanipur”. Chatterjee was among the BJP’s star campaigners for the constituency. Kunal Ghosh’s tweet had fuelled speculation that Locket Chatterjee may do a Babul Supriyo and switch from the BJP to Trinamool Congress.
Trinamool is also likely to make a major gain in netting the veteran Congress leader of Goa Luizinho Faleiro, a former chief minister, who on Monday quit the Congress, the party he was serving for the last 40 years, and also as the member of the Goa Assembly. Faleiro left the Congress soon after profusely praising Mamata Banerjee, who, he said, was the only “street fighter who can give the BJP a tough fight.” Goa is also due to go to the polls early next year along with Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and some other states.
“Mamata Banerjee has given a tough fight to Narendra Modi. The Mamata formula has won in Bengal,” Luizinho Faleiro told reporters, asked to confirm that his party switch. Faleiro asserted that he would continue to be a “Congressman of the larger Congress family”, implying that he saw the Trinamool as the Congress offshoot best equipped to fight the BJP.
“I met some people. They said I am a Congressman of 40 years. I will continue to be a Congressman of the Congress family. Among all four Congresses, it is Mamata who has given a tough fight to (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and their juggernaut. PM Modi had 200 meetings in Bengal. Amit Shah had 250 meetings. Then there was ED, CBI. But the Mamata formula has won,” said the former Chief Minister.
If Faleiro joined the TMC ahead of the Goa elections, he will be the second prominent defection to the Trinamool from Congress after Sushmita Deb’s crossover. While Ms Deb has been given a big role in Tripura ahead of elections next year, Faleiro is likely to bolster the Trinamool in Goa, where the Congress is considerably weakened and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is campaigning aggressively. Faleiro was the Congress’s in-charge of Tripura for the 2019 national election and could also help the Trinamool in the northeastern state where it is looking to expand its footprint and take on the ruling BJP. Senior Trinamool Congress leaders Derek O Brien and Prasun Banerjee have been in Goa for talks with Faleiro.
The Congress also suffered a setback in Kerala where its veteran leader VM Sudheeran on Monday resigned from the All India Congress Committee (AICC). He has sent his resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Mr. Sudheeran had turned up the heat in his dispute with the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leadership when AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala, Tariq Anwar, was in town.
Last week, Sudheeran had stepped down from the KPCC’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC). He has not yet articulated the reason for his relinquishment of two key party posts in close succession but his gloomy silence on the matter has triggered speculation that Sudheeran might be on the cusp of parting ways with the organisation he had served for decades. Sudheeran has shunned the media and remained closeted in his house.
By one account, Sudheeran felt hurt that the national and State leadership had ignored his counsel in organisational and political matters. He had sent a succession of letters to the party’s national leadership on issues plaguing the Congress in Kerala. However, they reportedly elicited no response. Sudheeran had also complained that the current KPCC leadership had ignored his opinion in the choice of District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents.
