Modi's Gujarat eager to hear Mamata; Tamil Nadu dubs her 'Amma'

KOLKATA: For the first time since the inception of Trinamool Congress (TMC) more than two decades ago, the people of Gujarat—the fiefdom of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah—will listen to the speech to be delivered by TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee virtually on July 21.

In Tamil Nadu, wall graffiti referring to Mamata Banerjee as 'Amma'— a sobriquet attached to late AIADMK leader Jayalalitha— have been put up in connection with the July 21 rally. In Gujarat, people of 19 out of 27 districts have shown keen interest to listen to Banerjee's speech on the Martyrs' Day on July 21.

With an eye on 2024 Lok Sabha elections after its landslide victory in this year's Bengal Assembly polls, the TMC is planning to take the opportunity of its biggest annual event—the July 21 Martyrs' Day rally— to reach out to people across the country by telecasting Banerjee's speech in various languages in different states. Banerjee's speech will be telecast on giant screens across Bengal, and for the first time, also in other states like Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Punjab, Tripura and poll-bound Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, a senior TMC leader said. Banerjee will address people virtually for the second consecutive year due to the COVID-19 pandemic on Martyr's Day.Political experts opined that after TMC's landslide victory in the 2021 Assembly election, a message had been sent across the country that BJP could be defeated. The Prime Minister and Home minister had predicted that BJP would get more than 200 seats in the Bengal Assembly election. Modi and Shah had addressed more than 35 election rallies in the state.

Most of the Central ministers and key Chief Ministers of BJP-led states had come to Bengal and criticised Trinamool. However, the predictions of BJP leaders were proved wrong and the party secured only 77 seats.

The experts said Banerjee's victory had increased confidence of women across economic status. In Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, women had shown keen interest to listen to her. "Mamata Banerjee has become a role model for many women outside Bengal and various steps taken up by Banerjee to make women economically independent has become a source of inspiration for women outside Bengal," experts added. TMC has proposed to set up party offices in other states.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress will take steps to ensure that people in every block across the state can hear Banerjee's speech. There are 341 blocks in Bengal.

Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee, after taking charge as the party's all- India general secretary, had vowed to spread the TMC's wings in other states to achieve a pan-India presence.

Deft organiser Mukul Roy, who has recently returned to the TMC from the BJP, has been given the charge for spreading the party's presence across the country.

Experts said people across the country were waiting to listen to her on July 21 as it was expected that she would highlight the failure of the Centre and announce some steps to foil the BJP's attempt to disturb Bengal.

Plans of a rainbow coalition against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are being nurtured in various quarters, with even the CPI(M) expressing its willingness to be a part of the bandwagon at the national level along with the TMC, its bitter rival in Bengal.