"Vote for Trinamool" written in Chinese appears on Kolkata's walls
This election season, political leaders are taking different routes to please voters. Moving away from a television channel and promise of the minimum wage, Trinamool turned towards the Chinese language. In West Bengal's Tangra, which is situated in the capital Kolkata, several walls carried the message "Vote for Trinamool" in Chinese, reports HT. This is the first time Mamata Banerjee's party took this route.
Tangra is seen as Kolkata's Chinatown
Tangra houses people of Chinese origin, including some 2,000 voters. Trinamool feels reaching out to the residents in their mother tongue will be effective. Local Trinamool Congress councilor Faiz Ahmed Khan didn't rule out the possibility of printing pamphlets in Chinese. He said if their candidate finds time, a small gathering will also be organized where the speech will be delivered in Chinese.
Never seen a graffiti in Chinese, said a local resident
Robert Hou, the owner of a popular shop, painted the graffiti. He said, "In every election, political parties campaign in this area, but this is the first time that a party has got graffiti in Chinese script." The area falls under South Kolkata constituency and Trinamool has fielded five-time Kolkata Municipal Corporation councilor Mala Roy from there. The constituency will vote on May 19.
Decades ago, ultra Left leaders swore allegiance to China
Although Trinamool tried this form of campaigning for the first time, the connection between Kolkata and China is old. In 1960s and 1970s, when Naxalbari movement was at its peak, many walls in capital read: "Chiner chairman amader chairman" (China's chairman is our chairman). However, Khokan Majumdar, one of the founders of the movement had said in 2012 that slogan would have never worked.
Meanwhile, PM Modi said TMC's rule isn't different from Left's
It won't be surprising if ruling BJP attacks Trinamool over these wall adornments and equates the party to Left. To recall, Trinamool brought down Left's fort in West Bengal and ended its 34-year rule in the state. Notably, on Wednesday Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Mamata Banerjee not only inherited Left's "weapons" but also "sharpened" them. He accused her of stalling Bengal's development.
