In Congress bastion, Mamata Banerjee appeals for pariborton

West Bengal chief minister and Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee during an election rally in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. (Photo: PTI)

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday exhorted the people of Murshidabad to get rid of the Congress and CPI(M) and bring a pariborton in the district by voting for Trinamul Congress candidates. In the last Assembly election when the Trinamul Congress had swept the polls in rest of the state, it had won just one seat in Murshidabad. Ms Banerjee was desperate to make inroads into a district which is known as a Congress citadel. Murshidabad is Congress president and MP Adhir Chowdhury’s stronghold. He is the fiercest Mamata-baiter and one of the two main architects of the Left Front-Congress alliance. CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra is the other one.

Voicing her happiness at over 80 per cent polling in the 18 Assembly seats in Jangalmahal, where polling took place on Monday, Ms Banerjee said, “It was a vote against the Congress, CPIM and BJP.”

Ms Banerjee addressed three rallies in the district on Tuesday. At her first rally in Sagardighi, she said that for over 40 years the people of Murshidabad had voted for the CPI(M) or the Congress but still the two parties had done no development in the district. “This time, bring a pariborton in Murshidabad,” she said. Slamming the Congress-Left alliance, Ms Banerjee said that the Congress leaders of Malda and Murshidabad had surrendered before the CPI(M) which she alleged was responsible for the killing of 55,000 Congress workers.

Continuing her tirade against the Congress for joining hands with erstwhile bête noire CPI(M), Ms Banerjee said the former had sold its flag to the latter. “The coming together of the Congress and the CPI(M) is as if Mir Jafar has joined hands with Siraj-ud-Daulah,” she said at her next rally in Domkal. This was a reference to two historical characters from Murshidabad. Mir Jafar has become synonymous with the word “traitor”. Significantly, Ms Banerjee went so far as to virtually warn the people that if they again voted for Congress and Left candidates then their areas would not reap the fruits of development. “I like to call a spade a spade. I wish to carry out extensive development in this district but I will not get it done through the Congress and CPI(M) MLAs,” she added.

Without naming Mr Adhir Chowdhury, she said he won by using muscle power but this time his ploy would be foiled.

Meanwhile, Mr Chowdhury alleged that the chief minister had violated the model code of conduct by addressing a party rally organised at a government property. The venue for the Hariharpara was the ground of a kisan mandi.