Kolkata: Campaigning for his party candidate of Jhargram, Kalipada Soren, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the BJP of overlooking the interests of the tribal communities and using them as vote banks.
At the public rally, Jhargram’s BJP MP Kunar Hembram joined TMC in the presence of Abhishek. Banerjee said: “Jhargram MP Kunar Hembram, who joined the TMC from BJP at this meeting, recounted how every attempt he made to secure funds from Delhi for regional development was obstructed and ignored by the party’s top leadership. He felt suffocated in the BJP and realised he was in the wrong party.” Banerjee claimed in the last five years the BJP-led Central government prevented their own party MP from working towards the economic development of various tribal communities. In his speech, he highlighted how the Lakshmir Bhander implemented by the Bengal government empowered women of all communities.
Accusing the BJP of inciting unrest in the Junglemahal region, Banerjee said: “A year ago, our convoy was stopped in Jhargram by a mob that pelted stones at the car of my accompanying leader, minister Birbaha Hansda.” “Though they were demanding rights for the Kurmi community in Junglemahal region, it was clear from their slogans, attire, and appearance that they were BJP activists masquerading as local Kurmi community members,” he added.
Meanwhile, campaigning in Ghatal for Dev (Deepak Adhikari), Abhishek trained his guns at the BJP candidate Hiranmoy Chatterjee. With both these candidates belonging from the Bengali film industry, Banerjee said Dev doesn’t need politics to survive since he does several movies in a year unlike the BJP candidate who hasn’t done any film in the last four years and is hence in politics for money. Earlier, Banerjee had alleged that Hiranmoy even came to meet him once in order to join his party.
Banerjee said BJP has become a party of the reject since whoever is rejected by TMC gets welcomed in the saffron brigade. Abhishek reportedly promised that if Dev wins from Ghatal Lok Sabha seat with one lakh margin then people in Keshpur Assembly seat will not only see their houses being built but also 50 km rural roads will be built in one month.