The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday (January 9) launched another public outreach programme ‘ek mutho chaal’ (a fistful of rice) in the presence of their national president Jagat Prakash Nadda.
After paying homage to Radha Govind temple in Katwa, JP Nadda took his lunch at the residence of a farmer and then collected rice from the families of farmers. The BJP chief had a Bengali vegetarian meal consisting of ‘shukto’, ‘shak bhaja’, fried brinjals, crispy potato fries, chutney and ‘payesh’, cooked by Mathura Mandal, who hosted the lunch.
This public outreach programme comes at a time when the Modi government is facing determined protests over the three farm laws at Delhi's Singhu border.
Slamming the move, Firhad Hakim, Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), claimed that instead of tackling the problem that the farmers are facing, Nadda is putting up a show during his visit in West Bengal.
The war of words is only intensifying more in West Bengal as on one side BJP national president JP Nadda on Saturday claimed that the ruling Trinamool Congress has become a party of ‘syndicate’, ‘appeasement’ and ‘extortion’, on the other hand TMC MP Saugata Roy stated that JP Nadda is a 'joker' and what he is saying is ridiculous.
Addressing at a roadshow at Katwa in Burdwan, the BJP national president said that the BJP will sweep the seats in the upcoming assembly poll.
“The number of excited people who are showing up to the BJP’s rallies makes it evident that we will win more than 200 seats and will form the next state government in West Bengal,” mentioned Nadda at the Burdwan clock tower.
“The people of Bengal are not BJP workers but they have come out to reach the saffron camp just to oust the ruling Trinamool Congress and chief minister Mamata Banerjee. People, especially the farmers, are deprived in Bengal. Now the TMC agreed to give the farmers the subsidy sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under Kisan Samman Nidhi. Her permission is now no longer needed as the BJP government will come to West Bengal and we will implement the Kisan Nidhi Yojna in Bengal,” Nadda added, with further allegations against the ruling TMC.
Notably, The TMC government had earlier this month softened its stance on implementing the PM Kisan scheme in the state, after more than a year of opposition to the programme. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had even asked the West Bengal state government to open a Nodal office in the state.
Countering Nadda’s claim, Saugata Roy said that BJP means Nirav Modi and bank thieves.
“The BJP is an outsider as it doesn't know what is happening in Bengal. They are outsiders. Those who are thieves call others thieves,” mentioned the TMC MP.
After attending the roadshow, the BJP national president also offered prayers to Sarbamangala temple in Burdwan.
The publishers permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)