The saffron song

Arindam Sarkar

They have started working in tandem in Bengal. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharaks have raised the issue of border infiltration to consolidate the Hindu vote-bank and they are telling the people not to waste their votes. And the BJP leaders are demanding that the people should vote for them.

As things stand, the strident Sangh Parivar may not be able to defeat the Trinamool Congress, but can the saffron surge reduce Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s victory margin, as she takes the shot for a second term in April 2016 Assembly elections in Bengal.

Poor governance of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee; a rejig of the BJP State unit; training of the saffron leadership to mobilize the workers; an aggressive membership drive; and comparison of the performance of Mamata Banerjee’s State government with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government at the Centre and other BJP-ruled States in India is going to be the BJP’s Bengal Line in the run-up to the Assembly elections in Bengal.

BJP has decided to fight the forthcoming Assembly elections by highlighting two issues – good governance and development. The saffron brigade has decided to refrain from attacking Mamata Banerjee directly.

Instead, the BJP would highlight Mamata government’s failure to maintain law and order; the effect of the ponzy scam; failure to woo industries to Bengal; and the tendency of the Trinamool Congress to resort to violence in order to thwart the moves of the Opposition parties.

Party’s national president Amit Shah would lead the BJP’s election campaign in Bengal. And come 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would also hold poll rallies in different parts of the State.

BJP Secretary and National Observer in-charge of Bengal Siddhartha Nath Singh observed that by the time they went to the Assembly elections in Bengal, the BJP government at the Centre would be two years old and it would be appropriate to compare the performance of Narendra Modi government with that of Mamata Banerjee’s first five-year term. Thus, people could judge and vote.

In order to give a definite focus to the party and to revitalize the party workers in Bengal, Siddhartha Nath Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra and State BJP president Rahul Sinha addressed a training camp for more than 50 senior State BJP leaders. In the camp, the BJP’s ideology and good governance were discussed and debated.

These trained leaders, according to Siddhartha Nath Singh, would percolate the vision of the BJP to the block level of the State and reach out to the commonest of the common people.

Siddhartha Nath Singh pointed out that there is no industry and infrastructure in Bengal. Rampant corruption was prevailing and unemployment is high. Labour unrest is unbelievable and there is no law and order in the State. Given this situation, if the BJP could put its act together, people could teach the Trinamool Congress a lesson.

The BJP vote-bank in Bengal increased from six percent in 2011 to 17 percent in 2014. And the saffron brigade expects this figure to increase in the future. The BJP is toying with the idea of inducting new faces in the existing State leadership to make the team stronger so that it could face the Trinamool challenge in the elections.

The BJP in Bengal is on a major membership drive. And according to the BJP leaders, more than 5,000 people are joining the party daily in the State. Many intellectuals and celebrities have joined the BJP. Singer Babul Supriyo is a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi government. Actress Rupa Ganguly and Locket Chatterjee and magician PC Sorcar have also joined the BJP. There are many more who are talking with the BJP.

Apparently, some Trinamool Congress, CPI(M) and Congress leaders have also approached the party leadership and were willing to join the BJP. “We will induct them at the right time,” said Siddhartha Nath Singh.