Besides development, “insider vs outsider” will be one of the primary themes of the Trinamool Congress’s campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal, according to party leaders. Prominent TMC leaders stated that the party, as it tries to retain power in the state for the third time, would push the idea that BJP, which is being seen as its primary competitor, has brought in “people from outside” who do not understand Bengal.

Trinamool supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressed a public rally in Bankura on Wednesday, her first public rally since the pandemic began, virtually beginning what is expected to be a fierce political contest. A senior Trinamool leader said that over the next few months, the party will emphasize “lack of local leadership in the BJP”. On its social media handles, the Trinamool has already launched a campaign, using a slogan through the election -“BanglarGorboMamata (Bengal’s pride Mamata)”.

A TMC leader said,  “Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is the pride of Bengal. Who does the BJP have to counter her? It is a point the TMC will make: look at the BJP team in Bengal. Amit Shah is leading the charge, the state in-charges are Kailash Vijayvargiya, Amit Malviya and Arvind Menon. They do not understand Bengal. They are only pushing divisiveness while we will push development and the Bengali identity.”

That the Trinamool leadership is not taking the BJP lightly is evident by the selection of the venue for Banerjee’s first rally after the easing of the lockdown caused by the pandemic. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had recently visited Bankura. Addressing a gathering, the TMC supremo described Shah’s recent visit to a tribal household in Bankura for lunch as a “show off” and claimed that the food items served to the BJP leader were cooked at five-star hotels. The allegation has been rubbished by the BJP.

Banerjee also hit out at Shah for apparently mistaking a statue of a tribal hunter for that of the freedom fighter Birsa Munda. Among the 18 Lok Sabha seats the BJP won in Bengal in 2019 are Bankura and Bishnupur, which cover 13 Assembly segments. In the run-up to Banerjee’s rally, the Trinamool has organized a press conference per day on various issues addressed by the different leaders or ministers.

A senior TMC leader said, “Not only in Kolkata, but we are also holding district-level press conferences regularly. This is also to show our bench strength as a party. While Mamata Banerjee is our leader, we have other Bengali stalwarts who are part of the TMC; leaders Bengalis know and recognize. The issues being raised are also positive. Press conference on one day would be on healthcare, another day on what has been done for women.”  This is a direct jibe at the PM who in more than six years of his tenure has not given a single press conference to the media reporters.

The author is a student member of amity centre of happiness