Kolkata: In a bid to reach out to the people ahead of Lok Sabha polls to highlight the work done by the state government for development of women, Trinamool Congress (TMC) women leaders made prudent use of city trams to distribute sweets and pamphlets while conveying ‘Bijoya’ greetings.
TMC women leaders travelled across Kolkata, from south to north, riding on trams emblazoned with images of the city’s iconic structures.
They got down at intervals to distribute pamphlets and sweets, wishing citizens a ‘Subha Bijoya’ and advanced greetings for Kali Puja.
Among the members was Chandrima Bhattacharya, a Cabinet minister who said the purpose of such a campaign is two-fold. Firstly, to highlight the ways in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ensured social, economic and political empowerment of women in all spheres of the society through various schemes.
She said that it is being highlighted how Bengal was the first to grant reservation for women candidates in elections much before the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in the Parliament. Schemes such as Kanyasree, Rupasree, Laxmi Bhander were cited as examples of schemes which helped the women in the state.
On the second reason which involved using trams, Chandrima highlighted that in this fast paced world, trams are a reminder that we sometimes need to take it slow to let certain realisations dawn upon us and revitalise ourselves for days ahead. Trams occupy a special corner in our heart and invoke nostalgia as we have grown up travelling in it. She said trams will always have an immense heritage value.
Other TMC women members feel that the immense contribution of their party’s chairperson Mamata Banerjee in ensuring that women get their fair share of respect and place in society will help the party bag a large number of votes in the upcoming polls.