Amit Shah Woos Tribals in Naxalbari, Mamata Reaches Out to Kamtapuris

Kolkata: Politics is the art of the possible. Who could have thought of a day in West Bengal politics till a few years ago when Bharatiya Janata Party’s national president will launch campaign from Naxalbari, and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will try to win over the communities, whom she had criticised for demanding separate statehood.

On Tuesday, both these scenarios turned into reality. West Bengal Chief Minister attended a public meeting of the Kamtapur Progressive Party (KPP) in Cooch Behar and played the ‘Kamtapur-Rajbonshi’ card to take on the BJP’s massive effort to find a platform in northern Bengal.

“I love Kamtapur, I love Rajbonshi,” said Mamata at the KPP’s meet. “I would like to urge you all not to join BJP because they believe in hatred and violence. BJP is a dangabaaz (rioters) party. They are dividing people,” she added.

Sharpening her attack on the Saffron party, she said, “Now the central government is planning Aadhaar card for cows. I think they have lost their mind. Tomorrow, they will say Aadhaar card is necessary to buy meat, eat fish, to put lip stick, to wear saree and salwar kameez. We are not going to tolerate this. I am sure that people of Bengal will respond to it.”

“Aamar Cholbo Nutun Korey…Cholbo Ek Nutun Surey (We will begin a new journey… with a new song),” she added.

On the other side, to tap anti-TMC wave in the hills, BJP National President Amit Shah kicked off his ‘Booth Chalo’ and ‘Mission Kolkata’ campaign from Naxalbari, one of the remote villages in Darjeeling district where the Naxal movement had begun in 1960s.

“I want you to raise your voice so loudly that it can be heard in Kolkata,” he said.

Shah’s three-day Bengal tour is to focus on strengthening the party at the grassroots ahead of crucial panchayat and local body elections.

Before addressing the public meet, Shah had lunch at the house of Raju Mahalia — a tribal at South Katiajote village in Naxalbari.

Leaving no stone unturned in wooing the villagers, he along with the state BJP president Dilip Ghosh sat on the floor at Raju’s hut and had a frugal lunch (rice, dal, papad, parval fry) on a banana leaf.

Shah will reach Kolkata by train on Wednesday morning and address a press conference at the Kolkata Press Club at 11 am.

When asked, a Trinamool Congress insider said, “There is a strong indication that BJP will try to rope in people from outfits like Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, KPP and Rajbonshi. These are the groups against whom Mamata had launched a crackdown in 2011, after becoming the CM because they were demanding separate statehood. Now, after five years, political equation has changed and to appease the people in North Bengal — Mamata Di can’t afford to ignore Kamtapuris and Rajbonshis, who are demanding recognition of Kamtapuri language and creation of a separate Kamtapur state. KPP is also planning to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to build further pressure on the Bengal government. Mamata is yet to accept KPP’s demands.”