Amit Shah gearing up for West Bengal
BJP chief Amit Shah visited West Bengal for 3 days to identify the road map for the BJP to make headway in the state. The BJP seeks to ride upon its electoral successes in other states like Uttar Pradesh and Goa and replicate the same in Mamata Banerjee's stronghold. He outlined a 3-point agenda for the BJP in the state.
Amit Shah's visit to the state
Shah's visit was an attempt to improve the BJP's visibility in West Bengal. He interacted with ground-level workers in Naxalbari, Chetla, and Rajarhat. Chetla in Bhawanipore district is also CM Mamata Banerjee's home constituency. Shah's visit also sought to organize ground-level workers of the BJP in the state and improve their morale, as the state has very few BJP legislators.
Identity, development and corruption
The first aspect Shah wants to leverage is the Hindutva identity of the BJP. The party seeks to woo the massive Hindu refugee population in the state. The BJP will also seek to highlight Prime Minister Modi's developmental agenda and link it to poor reforms by the TMC in the state. It will also seek to highlight the TMC's recent corruption streak.
Severe anti-incumbency in the state
BJP's Babul Supriyo stated that "The foundation of the Trinamool Congress is based on deceit. And the leader allowed her party workers to indulge into scams, syndicates and other surreptitious activities… In my three years in politics, I never saw such anti-incumbency."
Didi, Left feel threatened
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is on the defensive, with several of her party members arrested over involvement in various state-wide scams. She said "Bengal is not an easy task for you. You handle Gujarat as that suits you more. I am guarding Bengal." Meanwhile, the Left accused Banerjee of creating a conducive environment for the BJP in the state.
