‘Reach out to people’: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee rejigs organisation ahead of rural polls

KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee chaired Trinamool’s extended working committee meeting at Kalighat on Friday as she rejigged key roles and chalked out the strategy for the upcoming panchayat polls, asking partymen to “keep the morale high” and “connect with the masses”.
Banerjee asked TMC workers to get going immediately after the end of the higher secondary examinations later this month.
“Get on the field from March 28 and reach out to voters. Don’t get demoralised over allegations of corruption. Strengthen the organisation and keep your morale high,” a senior leader said after coming out of the meeting, quoting the CM.
At the meeting, it was decided that Banerjee herself will oversee the party affairs and poll preparations in Birbhum (whose district president Anubrata Mandal is behind bars), while senior leaders like Arup Biswas, Firhad Hakim, Tapas Roy, Moloy Ghatak and Siddiqulla Chowdhary were given responsibilities to handle other districts.
The CM will conduct at least three district-wise meetings every month to further chart the road map for the rural elections. The meeting started at Banerjee’s Kalighat home at 2.30 pm and continued for around two hours, after which senior leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Chandrima Banerjee addressed the media.
“It has been decided that our workers will reach out to the masses with the various party and administrative welfare schemes. The ‘Didir Doot’ programme will start immediately after the end of the HS exam and from April 1, Duare Sarkar programmes will also begin. We will try to meet the complaints and demands of people made during the ‘Didir Doot’ events,” said Bandyopadhyay.
Sources said Bratya Basu has been asked to handle the teachers’ organisation and has also been tasked with preparing a list of all teachers who were recruited during the Left regime from 1990 to 2011. It was also made clear that the party will not side with anyone involved in corruption and that he/she will have to fight his/her own legal battle.
However, asked about TMC’s stance on arrested leaders like Anubrata and Manik Bhattacharya — who are still enrolled with the party — Bandyopadhyay said: “The party’s disciplinary committee will take action regarding the same.”
Banerjee stressed on building young leaders and asked veteran leader Subrata Bakshi to organise a training camp for young party workers and leaders. Many leaders were also warned not to make “befaas montobbo (unintentional comments)” before the media or at public meetings that can tarnish the party’s image.