KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is set to launch ‘Sebaashray’ health camps in two blocks of East Midnapore’s Nandigram on January 15. Banerjee said on Saturday that the decision followed requests received through his outreach initiative ‘Ek Daake Abhishek’. “People urged us to open Sebaashray camps in Nandigram. We have decided to set up two model camps — one each in Nandigram Block I and Block II. I will inaugurate them on January 15,” he said.
The move is politically significant as Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari is the MLA from Nandigram. Earlier, the TMC had mocked health camps organised by Adhikari in the area, calling them a replica of Sebaashray. Adhikari had launched medical camps at Sonachura in Nandigram to provide healthcare services to residents, a move the ruling party ridiculed at the time. TMC leaders have claimed that while Adhikari initially attempted to “belittle” Sebaashray after Banerjee launched it in his Diamond Harbour constituency, he later sought to “copy” the initiative by organising similar camps in Nandigram.