A confident BJP is ramping up Assembly poll preparations in West Bengal slated in 2021 and Union Home Minister Amit Shah visit to the state sends a message that Shah is leading from the front. Shah who is on a two-day visit to the state on November 5th and 6th, arrived in the state on Wednesday night and reached the Bankura district on Thursday morning for organizational meetings with party workers followed by lunch with a tribal family, signalling the strengthening of their tribal vote bank. Shah also spoke of forming the next government in West Bengal.
“The death knell has rung for the Mamata government. In the coming days, the BJP will form the government with a two-thirds majority. I appeal to the people of Bengal, Bengal is a bordering state the security of Bengal is connected with the security of the country. To secure the people of Bengal and provide employment to the youth and take people out of poverty, throw out the present government. Give the BJP government a chance,” said Amit Shah in the Bankura district. Bankura is a part of the Junglemahal belt, which predominantly has a tribal population and was an erstwhile Maoist den.
Shah’s lunch appointment with a tribal family in Chaturdhi village in Bankura on Thursday Shah will also have a meal with a refugee family on Friday. BJP created a dent in Trinamool Congress(TMC)’s refugee and Matua or tribal vote bank in the 2019 general elections. The tribal and Matua communities which come under the Scheduled Caste(SC) status comprise roughly 16% of the total population in West Bengal.
The party is looking to give assurances to the refugee community that the Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) which seeks to give recognition to refugees in the country, will work in the community’s favour. There were widespread protests across the country against the CAA.
Shah also hit out at the Trinamool Congress(TMC) for the killings of party workers in recent months.
“Since last night, I am in West Bengal and can sense the massive public anger against the Mamata Banerjee government. We are confident of bringing change in the state under the leadership of Narendra Modi,” said Shah.
Party workers from two zones of Rarh and Hoogly-Midnapore covering over 70 Assembly seats are part of Thursday’s meeting. For Friday’s meeting, Shah will address party workers from the Kolkata and Nabadeep zones.
