RANCHI: Barely three days before the first phase of voting in West Bengal commences on March 27, chief minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday hit the campaign trail for the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the neighbouring state’s Purulia district. From a dais at Bandwan assembly constituency, Hemant backed Didi and said his party chose to set aside differences with her to stop BJP.
“Purulia, Bankura and Midnapore are not new to us. We have been coming here for ages, standing in support with the Adivasis and contesting elections for many years. But this election is different. This is an election to save the values, culture, existence, religious harmony and the interests of the Adivasis. The ideals of JMM and TMC are somewhat similar and my party chose to set aside differences with Didi to stop BJP,” Hemant said.
“After winning a few seats in the Lok Sabha election, they (BJP) think it can win the assembly election here. They had made the same mistake in Jharkhand after winning 12 of the 14 LS seats, but we ousted them and now, Didi’s TMC will do the same here,” Hemant told the gathering in Santhali. He was speaking at Sindri village football ground in Barrabazar block of Purulia district under Bandwan (ST) assembly constituency which goes to poll on March 27.
Hemant, flanked by TMC leaders and its Bandwan candidate Rajiv Lochan Soren, said BJP and its ideological organisation RSS is trying to win through money and muscle power. “RSS has pushed its workers in every assembly segment of West Bengal for over six months now. They are spending money like anything. Beware of them and their agents,” he said.
Before arriving at Bandwan, Hemant flew in a chopper from Ranchi to Bamni Charki Pathar village under Manbazar assembly constituency in Purulia. From Bandwan, he flew to Simlapal village under Taldangra assembly segment, which goes to vote in the second phase.
“No one in West Bengal feels strongly for the development of Adivasis except Didi,” Hemant said. “The fight in West Bengal is a directly between TMC and BJP. So be alert and see that none of your votes go to waste,” he said.
Attacking the BJP government in the Centre, Hemant said, “They made lakhs of migrant workers walk back to their homes during the lockdown without food, shelter and water. Many died during the journey. Now, they are bringing black laws which will force farmers to work as labourers in their own land,” he said.
Hemant’s public meetings drew sizeable crowds. The audience hooted, clapped and played drums when he raised the pitch. “The meetings were hugely successful and showed that there is a strong support for JMM in these parts,” JMM’s West Bengal unit chief Bittu Murmu told TOI over phone.