'MLAs have to be voters of areas they represent'

Kolkata: The MLAs will have to be voters of the areas they represent, announced Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday afternoon.

She held a marathon meeting with the party functionaries of West Midnapore, where the party did not do well in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election.

Poll strategist Prashant Kishore was also present at the meeting. It may be mentioned that Banerjee is holding meetings with party leaders in all the districts. Earlier, she

had held meetings with the party leaders in Nadia and North 24-Parganas.

Banerjee pulled up party leaders in areas where the party could not

do well in the general election, despite the fact that tremendous development has taken part in those areas.

Jangalmahal falls under West Midnapore, where the party fared badly. Banerjee has a soft corner for Jangalmahal as she had won the confidence of the people of the area by visiting the place several times. The area was under Maoist control and she was able to stop the Maoist activities due to comprehensive development of the area.

Banerjee appointed Seuli Saha as the chairman of the party's SC cell and the general secretary of Trinamool Women Congress. She has instructed that 10 party leaders will work together in the booth level. Kausar Ali Khan has been made the chairman of the minority cell.

Banerjee held distance between the leaders and people responsible for the poll debacle in the area. "I had asked you to build intense contact with the people who are the real source of strength. But you did not listen to me and now we are paying a price for it," she said, adding: "Because of this, in many areas where we had taken a lead of 60,000 votes in 2014, our margin has

drastically come down to 12,000 votes."

She instructed the leaders to go to the party office at 9 am and stay there till 11 am. They should then visit the office of the Panchayat and talk to the people with grievances.

Banerjee has set up a core committee in the district. It will have three members, namely Manas Bhuniya, Amulya Maity and Nirmal Ghosh.

"Work together to repair the damages," she told the leaders.

Banerjee also told the leaders that they will have to obey the instructions of the party or they are free to go. "Stand in front of a mirror and look at your face," she told them.

She warned party leaders against taking cut money. "I warn you. If you are caught you will be thrown out of the party," she maintained.