Mamata Banerjee's minority outreach in Malda and Murshidabad a message for Congress

 Observers mentioned that Mamata’s remarks and her walks in traditional bases of Congress show that Trinamul is not ready to leave any space for the party

Mamata Banerjee walks on a street in Malda town on Wednesday.: Picture by Soumya De Sarkar

Soumya De Sarkar, Alamgir Hossain, TT, Malda, Behrampore, 01.02.24 : Chief minister Mamata Banerjee took a multi-pronged strategy on Wednesday to consolidate the support base of her party in the minority-dominated districts of Malda and Murshidabad and to pass a clear message to Congress that she has no less popularity in these districts which the Grand Old Party claims to be its strongholds.

On one hand, she played the development card and slammed the Centre for not providing funds to address erosion, a perennial problem to which thousands of residents of both districts can easily relate.

On the other hand, Mamata, who is in poll mode even though the Parliament elections have not been announced, walked both in Malda and Berhampore and reached out to people as she had done in North Dinajpur — another district where Congress demands to have a support base — on Tuesday.

“The central government is not taking any responsibility to check erosion in different blocks of Malda and Murshidabad. The Farakka Barrage Project Authority has stopped dredging the Ganga river bed. People are suffering in both districts and losing their land and houses,” said Mamata, while speaking at a public service distribution programme in Malda.

Time and again, questions were being raised by Trinamul leaders at the BJP government of the Centre as to whether it is “selective” in carrying out anti-erosion works on both banks of the Ganga, considering the demography of these two districts.

In Malda, minorities comprise around 55 percent of the population while in Murshidabad, their percentage is 77.

“We, the state government, however, have taken initiatives to check erosion. I have asked the administrative officials of Malda and Murshidabad to find out government land which is at least 10 kilometres away from the erosion-affected areas. Those who are set to lose their land and houses because of erosion will be rehabilitated in these places. They will be provided land rights and also assistance to build their houses,” she added.

Her remarks hint that she is trying to drive home the point that the Centre is apathetic to the erosion victims and her government is putting all efforts to help these people.

“It would obviously create an impact among those who have lost their properties due to erosion or living with apprehension of such loss, and help Mamata Banerjee to draw votes from minority communities,” said a political observer.

While elaborating on the state’s initiatives to check erosion and help the victims, Mamata also played the development card.

In 2019, Trinamul and Congress each had bagged two Parliament seats in these districts. The fifth seat — Malda North — went to the BJP.

However, in 2021, Trinamul improved its performance. It bagged eight of 12 Assembly seats in Malda and 20 of 22 seats in Murshidabad.

In Malda and Murshidabad, she inaugurated new projects and laid the foundation stones of some other projects for which the state will altogether spend over Rs 1,500 crores.

She also referred to migrant workers — thousands of people from both Malda and Murshidabad, most of whom are from minority communities, work in other states — and said the state will stand in their support.

“You should ensure that your name is there in the voter list… or else, if BJP implements NRC, you will be in crisis,” said Mamata.

In Murshidabad, she spoke about the Malda-Murshidabad-Nadia tourism circuit and said her government is working for its promotion and development.

Today morning, Mamata reached the district police lines in Malda from Balurghat in a chopper. She then started walking towards the meeting venue, located around a kilometre away, meeting and greeting people.

As hundreds assembled on both sides of the road, Mamata cuddled children, spoke with school girls and shook hands with people.

A similar scene was witnessed in Berhampore — the home turf of PCC president and known Mamata-baiter Adhir Ranjan Choudhury — later in the day.

After the government function in the local stadium, Mamata walked for a kilometre in the town. She reached the ground in Berhampore and flew to Nadia.

Observers mentioned that Mamata’s remarks and her walks in traditional bases of Congress show that Trinamul is not ready to leave any space for the party.

“These prove that she is ready to take on BJP alone and even other political contenders like Congress and the Left, though they are constituents of the INDIA bloc when it comes to the Lok Sabha seats of Bengal,” said an observer.