All India Trinamool Youth Congress president Abhishek Banerjee is scheduled to tour North Bengal from 4 to 8 January to review and strengthen his party organisation in the TMC’s effort to beat the BJP. Mr Banerjee’s visit comes at a time when his arch rival, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, today highlighted prospects of the saffron party in north Bengal.
According to sources, Mr Banerjee will be camping in Siliguri for most of the time and hold meetings with his party workers in north Bengal districts. He is scheduled to leave for Kolkata on 9 January, sources said, adding that the AITYC president will also address a public meeting at Gangarampur in South Dinajpur on 7 January.
Leader of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha Bimal Gurung, who is scheduled to arrive in Siliguri on 3 January, is also likely to hold a meeting with Mr Banerjee to formulate plans to tackle the BJP in the Hill, Terai and the Dooars region. “Abhishek Banerjee may even visit Darjeeling Hills. The TMC will support the GJMM Bimal faction candidates in the Hills to ensure the three Assembly seats there,” a source said.
It may be noted here that BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, addressing a public meeting at Kanthi today, highlighted good prospects of the BJP in north Bengal, based on the last Lok Sabha election results. He also termed Trinamul Congress ministers from north Bengal as ‘half weighed’ in the Cabinet. He also attacked the TMC, terming it “one-and-ahalf- men-controlled company” and criticised both Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
However, later, education minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters in Kolkata that Mr Adhikari was taken in the BJP just to criticise the party he once belonged to. “People will answer him in an appropriate time,” he said. Sources said that some senior TMC leaders in north Bengal, who may have plans to join the BJP are under Mr Banerjee’s scanner.
Party sources further said Mr Banerjee will review the party’s Assembly segmentwise position as he had given his leaders tasks during his last visit here, and to formulate the next course of action, especially for Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts.
“The AITYC president will also judge people’s response to the Duare Sarkar programme and Banga Dhwani, the distribution of the state government’s ‘Report Card’ on its two terms in government,” a source said, adding that the TMC leadership here has come to a conclusion that the BJP’s image will be damaged as people have started saying that the “BJP is the B team of the TMC.”
It may be noted that state TMC president Subrata Bakshi has instructed party workers to work as per schedule formulated by the party. Party workers have been asked to reach out to the people with the state government’s report card from 1 to 7 January.
Party workers have been asked to help people in their respective localities besides paying homage to Gandhi, Netaji, Vivekananda, Abul Kalam Azad and BR Ambedkar before launching the programme. Party leaders have been asked to organise assistance distribution programmes among patients in hospitals and the needy people and even blood donation camps.
Trinamul leaders will also organise a programme on Swami Vivekananda on 12 January, Netaji’s birthday on 23 January, Republic Day and the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 30 January. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is also set to visit north Bengal, including the Hills, before 23 January, “if things go in the right direction,” sources said.