KOLKATA: Ahead of the Panchayat elections, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee sent a strong message to the party workers—while addressing a rally in Jalpaiguri—by stating that candidates for the Panchayat polls would be chosen on the basis of 'people's certificates' to the leaders and not their bank balance.
He also instructed the party leaders in Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri to bring their report cards to the city during their visit to the Martyrs' Day programme, scheduled to be held on July 21.
He asked the leaders to mention how many times they had visited different areas up to the booth-level in the past year since the declaration of Assembly polls results on May 2, 2021.
He was addressing a rally at Dhupguri Municipality Football ground in Jalpaiguri on Tuesday afternoon. It was a convention for Trinamool leaders and workers of Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri before the July 21 Martyrs' Day programme in Kolkata.
Banerjee reiterated that the leaders would have to decide whether they would take the party seriously or get themselves involved in the business of contractors. "I reiterated what I had said in Haldia, the leaders will have to decide whether they want to take the party seriously or get themselves engaged in the business of contractors," he said.
"While coming to the rally I had talked to the people of Mayanaguri. I thought they had grievances against Trinamool Congress. I found that they have respect for our party but unfortunately, our leaders did not visit them before the Assembly election and my apologies on their behalf," he said.
To the leaders, he advised: "Reach out to people on cycles, if needed. Do you think that you cannot visit the areas without a police escort?" Banerjee said he would come to these districts once in two months to strengthen the organisation and visit the areas where the party could not do well in the 2021 Assembly polls.
Moreover, after Diamond Harbour, he launched a helpline number (7887778877) for Coch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri where people could call him to share their grievances or suggestions.
"There is only one leader in TMC and that is Mamata Banerjee. If you can't agree to this, then you may quit the party. But, the party will not tolerate anyone acting on their whims and fancies by getting shields from local leaders," he said. He said the party will resist every attempt by the BJP to make North Bengal a separate state.
He urged people and particularly the media not to use the term "North Bengal". "When I visit Haldia, do you say I visited a South Bengal district? You do not. Why make this division? It is West Bengal," he added.
While visiting an area in Dhupguri, the locals complained to Banerjee about the pending work of building a market in the area.
He called the Sabhapati of Zilla Parishad from the spot and asked him to complete the work in a month. He also scorned him.
Attacking the BJP, Abhishek said: "What happened in Sri Lanka and Afghanisthan, I believe the people of India will create a similar situation against the BJP."
While the Bengal government is giving money in the hands of women through a scheme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking it away from them by raising cooking gas prices to nearly Rs 1,100 per cylinder, he claimed.