With the state Assembly elections drawing near, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified its preparations, unveiling plans to launch nine Parivartan Rath Yatras from different parts of West Bengal. The announcement came after a key organisational meeting held at a private hotel in Kolkata on Tuesday, attended by senior party leaders including party State President Samik Bhattacharya, former MP Locket Chatterjee, and former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Ghosh.
According to party sources, the yatras will commence in the first week of March, with five starting points across the state and all routes eventually converging in Kolkata. The first phase will begin on March 1, with rallies flagged off from Cooch Behar Dakshin, Krishnanagar Dakshin, Garbeta, Raydighi, and Kulti.
A second set of yatras will start on March 2 from Islampur, Sandeshkhali, Hassan, and Amta.
After a brief pause for Holi celebrations from March 3 to 4, the campaign will resume and continue until March 10, covering more than 5,000 kilometres and touching every Assembly constituency.
The yatras will feature bike rallies, tableaux, and public meetings, with at least 60 large rallies and over 300 smaller gatherings planned, said sources, adding that through the procession, the party will highlight the scams and corruption of the ruling government while showcasing the changes it promises to bring.
“There will be massive rallies from these districts, the final route maps are being finalised as time is drawing close. The examinations are going on so cannot take out any rally now, but once the HS (Higher Secondary) examinations are over the campaigning will start full fledged,” a senior BJP leader said.
According to BJP sources, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to join the Yatra, and there is a strong likelihood that he may participate in the Yatra in Cooch Behar for a day. He is likely to later address a massive concluding rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata at the end of March. Another matter taken up at the meeting was the Prime Minister’s likely visit to Kolkata around 15 March. “We have submitted a proposal for any day between March 13 and 16. The PM’s presence will give a huge boost to all party workers,” the senior party leader said.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari hit out at suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayan Kabir over funding for the Babri Masjid replica, claiming that the money is coming from Bangladesh. “Humayun Kabir spent seven days in Bangladesh before the so-called foundation stone laying of the Babri Masjid replica and the formation of the new party. More than 50 percent of the money that Humayun Kabir collected for the Babri Masjid replica, through the account of a state-owned bank, came from Bangladesh. Humayun Kabir is the bridge between the Jamaat and Mamata Banerjee in Bangladesh,” said Adhikari.
In addition to election strategy, the meeting also saw four new members formally join the party — Dipanjan Chakraborty, Biplab Biswas, a retired CRPF officer; Kasturi Goswami, advocate and daughter of former Left minister Kshiti Goswami; and Dr Akshay Binjarajka, a long-time RSS associate.
Chakraborty has formally been actively involved in several public movements, including those related to the RG Kar incident. He was also associated with the NSG.
The BJP also released a book titled “Andhar-er Koto Kotha”, based on what the party described as “Mahajangalraj” in West Bengal. According to party leaders, the book is a compilation of facts on law and order, corruption, and administrative failures in West Bengal.
Samik Bhattacharya, while addressing a press conference, said, “After 34 years of Left rule, a change had taken place, with the restoration of democracy being the sole issue. People wanted an end to cadre-based politics. In the interest of development and against the violence of the Left era, people had placed their trust in the Trinamool Congress. However, over the past 15 years, there has been no opportunity to assess what people have actually received.”
According to Bhattacharya, the inauguration of the yatras will be attended by party senior leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP National President Nitin Naveen, former national president and Union Minister JP Nadda, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Devendra Fadnavis, and Smriti Irani.