After setback in Lok Sabha polls, Mamata announces Trinamool's mass-outreach programme
Kolkata, July 29 (IBNS): Two months after losing ground to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) largely in the Lok Sabha polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced a mass-outreach programme for her party Trinamool Congress.
Addressing a press conference at Nazrul Mancha here, Mamata said the elected representatives of the Trinamool will visit 10,000 villages across the state in 100 days time.
"The representatives will hear the voices of people. They will also talk to the local party members and stay a night in the village," the Trinamool chief said.
Unlike her trademark style, Mamata on Monday read out a statement from papers and launched telephone number 9137091370 and website "www.didikebolo.com" for people to directly reach out to the party.
Mamata has, however, tried to pose confident even after BJP emerging as a serious challenge to the Trinamool by saying, "We haven't lost any ground. We have the organisation. This is just an enhancement of our organisation. The 2021 Assembly Elections are still 20 months away so we are not launching the political campaigns."
Though she sat behind a table with Trinamool's logo written in full Bengali unlike the ones during the Lok Sabha poll campaigns, Mamata denied any Bengali push in the state. "We have used Bengali in the logo because it is going to be the state election. If we contest in other states, then their regional languages will be prioritised."
However in several occasions after the parliamentary polls, which saw Trinamool coming down from 34 to 22 seats, Mamata was seen accusing the Hindi-speaking people of assaulting the Bengalis.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool supremo denied the media reports which had claimed the West Bengal's ruling party is going to appoint full-timers like the CPI-M. "Those reports are untrue. We don't have enough money. We can't even think of such an idea. The CPI-M and BJP used to do because they have lot of money and party funds," said Mamata.
After the BJP won 18 Lok Sabha seats and increased its vote share to almost 41%, the Trinamool roped in election strategist Prashant Kishor, who had helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi to win the General Elections 2014. In a latest instance, Kishore helped Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) to register a landslide victory in the southern state.
Rejecting the claims of "corporatisation" of Trinamool, Mamata said her party is getting "mordernised".
Image Credit: File
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