Big plan for Brigade rally, TMC's 'Jonogorjon' to counter BJP’s 'Bangla-birodhi' narrative
Telegraph | 29 February 2024
The Trinamul Congress plans to make its election campaign kick-starter event — the Jonogorjon (roar of the people) rally — as the country’s biggest political event in recent memory.
To make the Brigade Parade Grounds event successful, Trinamul has begun mobilising party workers with targeted plans and engaged a battery of top leaders to interact with them at the booth level, travelling across the state.
The programme scheduled for March 10 is to counter the saffron ecosystem’s “Bangla-birodhi (anti-Bengal)” propaganda allegedly aimed at maligning the state.
The event was announced by the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday when he challenged the BJP to organise one that could match Trinamul’s event.
Trinamul’s objective behind the rally is to bring back popular attention to the “real” issues — the deprivation of people and propaganda by the BJP, weathering the ongoing political storm over Sandeshkhali that has put the Mamata Banerjee government in an embarrassing situation.
In a strategic way, the ruling party has planned to channelise the anger of the people at the ground against the BJP, which believes Sandeshkhali will prove to be Mamata Banerjee’s Waterloo.
“The Jonogorjon rally as Abhishek Banerjee clarified is aimed to protest against the anti-Bengal move of blocking our dues,” Trinamul’s North 24-Parganas core committee member Biswajit Das said.
Abhishek’s announcement of the mega rally came days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three back-to-back rallies scheduled for March 1, 2 and 8 at Arambagh, Krishnanagar and Barasat, respectively, which are expected to kick off the BJP’s Bengal campaign.
“Ours will be an unprecedented event in terms of gathering. The deafening roar of people will be heard by Narendra Modi sitting in Delhi and unleash panic among the BJP leadership,” a Trinamul leader said.
The event is set to be a much bigger one than whatever we have seen in recent times, the Trinamul leader added.
“We have already begun ground-level preparations to mobilise maximum party supporters. A list of 25-30 star campaigners comprising MPs, MLAs, and district presidents has been made for the job, who would be travelling across the state and holding personal meetings with people,” a party insider said, adding that a circular had been issued asking all party workers to attend the event in Calcutta, without fail.
The ruling party has planned to go all-out against the BJP and its top leaders, who as they alleged have been desperately trying to create a situation of unrest so that Sandeshkhali remains in the news. To counter this, the party is trying to encash the anger of the people, particularly the beneficiaries of the 100-day job scheme, who could not get their rightful dues because of the suspension of funds by the Centre.
As the Mamata Banerjee government has begun paying the dues, the Trinamul leadership thinks that a conducive situation has developed at the ground level which if used properly can give dividends, and at the same time help the party to overcome the embarrassment caused by Sandeshkhali.
“The anger building against the BJP at the ground level, especially since Didi has now released the money for the MGNREGA workers.... This is a positive situation,” a Trinamul leader in Calcutta said.
“People living particularly in the rural areas are angry with BJP since they are deprived by it in several ways. Funds due to Bengal from the Centre under the MGNREGA, the Awas Yojana, the Gram Sadak Yojana, midday meals and so many other schemes have been stopped.
“People have understood that it is only Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee sincerely trying their best to pay their dues from state exchequer. This understanding is enough to bring huge people to the Brigade on March 10 and rattle the BJP leadership which has been dreaming of retaining power in Delhi with more seats from Bengal,” a Trinamul leader said.