Mamata gives clarion call of 'Jai Hind'

Kolkata: Retorting to the 'Jai Shri Ram' debacle in Bhatpara, Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that she would chant 'Jai Hind' - the slogan coined by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and urged people to do so as well.

Banerjee made Kartick Banerjee the president of the newly formed 'Jai Hind Bahini', while Indranil Sen has been made the vice-president and Bratya Basu the chairman. The TMC supremo had announced the setting up of the Bahini at the meeting in Naihati on Thursday, in a bid to counter RSS. The members of the Bahini will organise cultural shows to project Bengal's culture and tradition.

Meanwhile, Kakoli Ghosh dastidar has been made the convener of Banga Janani Bahini, whose formation was announced on Thursday.

Banerjee will also hold meetings with the party leaders in the districts to analyse the post-poll scenario. She told party leaders not to lose their nerves and said the party will come out of the current situation soon.

She will meet the leaders of Hooghly district on June 7. Though Trinamool Congress has retained the seats in Srirampur and Arambagh from where Kalyan Banerjee and Anurupa Podder have been elected, Podder's margin has come down from 3.46 lakh votes in 2014 to 1,818 votes in 2019.

Two-time MP Ratna Dey Nag has lost the Hooghly seat to Locket Chatterjee of BJP. Even in Singur, which is a Trinamool Congress stronghold, the party could not do well in the election.

Banerjee had opposed the construction of an automobile factory by Tata Motors on fertile land and assured that she would return the land which was forcibly taken by the erstwhile Left Front government. The land was returned to the unwilling farmers and farming started subsequently. Agriculture experts tested the soil and helped the farmers to grow paddy and vegetables.

In the 2014 Lok sabha election, Dey Nag had taken a lead of 90,606 votes in the Singur Assembly segment. However, in 2019, she was able to take lead only in the Chandannagar and Dhaniakhali Assembly segments.

In Jangalmahal and North Bengal, Trinamool Congress candidates got defeated as well, even though Banerjee had devoted maximum time in these two areas.

Sadhan Pandey and Golam Rabbani have been appointed the party's observers in Malda, where the party has lost two seats. In Malda North, Mausam Benzir Noor was defeated by the BJP candidate.

Rajib Banerjee will look after Nadia district, while former party MP Uma Soren will look after SC, ST and tribal welfare. Siddiqulla Chowdhury has been made the chairman of the minority cell, while Hazi Nurul has become its president. Suvendu Adhikari has been asked to oversee all the districts in North and South Bengal.

Lastly, the TMC supremo pulled up Aroop Biswas, Anubrata Mondol and Ajit Maity for the party's poor performance in Darjeeling, Birbhum and Jangalmahal.