TMC, BJP bicker over Hill rally crowd size

SNS, Siliguri, 12 APRIL 2019: The Trinamul Congress has said that the weaknesses of the BJP has been exposed as the much-hyped election rally of the BJP national president, Amit Shah, in Kalimpong turned to be a "damp squib." According to Trinamul party leaders, the meeting failed to draw a large crowd. The party also alleged that the CPI-M "left the space" for the BJP in the Darjeeling Parliamentary Constituency.

State tourism minister and Darjeeling district Trinamul Congress president Gautam Deb said the meeting in Kalimpong suffered a setback.

"Wearing the traditional Nepali cap, Mr Shah addressed a meeting in Kalimpong yesterday meeting barely managed to draw around 1200 people. Being the national president, Mr Shah visited the Hills for the first time in the past five years. It has exposed the weaknesses of the BJP, and it proved that people support the unprecedented development spree of the Mamata Banerjee -led state government. She has brought about peace in the Hills. Prevailing peace in a region is the primary step for development,” Mr Deb said here today.

The BJP however, refuted the allegation and said that the turnout in Mr Shah's meeting was high yesterday.

"I would humbly request him to correct his mathematical calculations. The meeting of Mr Shah drew five-fold more crowd than the meeting of Mamata Banerjee in Darjeeling the same day. The single agenda of the Trinamul Congress, CPI-M and the Congress is to oust Narendra Modi, but their dreams would never turn into reality. They themselves have a tacit understanding, which all know People have seen how Miss Banerjee, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury joined hands in Delhi. At the same time, both the CPI-M and the Congress fielded their candidates as mere dummy candidates to divide the votes of the BJP" said the party's Siliguri Organisational district president, Abhijit Roy Chowdhury.

Interestingly, Mr Deb termed the CPI-M candidate as a 'shadow' of the BJP.

Taking a swipe at the CPI-M, Mr Deb said had forged a 'rainbow alliance' with the Congress and the saffron brigade. 

"The CPI- M and Con­gress had stressed on a con­sensus candidate for the Darjeeling Constituency, which miserably failed. Deviating from their ideological grounds, the CPI-M is creating space for BJP in the elections. The candidate fielded by the CPI-M is a shadow candidate to help the BJP" he added.

Mr Deb said they appeal to the people and followers of Left ideologies to vote for Amar Singh Rai, the joint candidate of the party and the Binoy Tamang faction of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha, for development.

In a counter attack, the CPI-M said that the statements made by Mr Deb were illogical.

"Being a responsible minister in the state cabinet, Mr Deb is making irresponsible statements. 

Trinamul Congress partnered with the previous BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and Miss Banerjee had served as a Union minister then. Neither has the CPI-M supported the BJP nor our party leaders joined their cabinet. Trinamul Congress has played a pivotal role in bringing the BJP in the state," said the CPI-M's Darjeeling district secretary, Jibesh Sarkar.

Meanwhile, Mr Deb said that as part of election capaign , Bengali actress turned Trinamul Congress candidate for the Jadavpur Parliamentary Constituency, Mimi Chakraborty, will hold a roadshow along with min­ister and party leader Aroop Biswas in Siliguri on 16 April.

He said the party has requested the Election Commission to change the slot for the NOTA button (None of the Above) in the EVMs.

"There are 16 candidates contesting from Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, but each EVM has only  15 slots. So two EVMs would be used during the polls here, including one that will have the 17th (NOTA) button. The names of our candidate have been placed on the top of the first EVM, while the NOTA button too is on the top of the second EVM. We have requested the commission so that the NOTA slot can be pl aced at other slots in the second EVM because we felt voters may be confused by both the slots on the tops. We are yet to get a response from the commission," Mr Deb said.