West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced the setting up of the socio-cultural wings of the party on the lines of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
“If they [BJP] can associate with the RSS, I will create Jai Hind Bahini to counter the RSS,” Ms. Banerjee said, announcing that there would be uniform and identity cards for members of these cultural organisations.
For women, the cultural organisation will be called Banga Janini Bahini [Bengal Mothers’ Group] and both these organisations will function from Trinamool Congress party offices before they have their own establishments.
Addressing the first public meeting at Naihati in the State’s North 24 Parganas after the Lok Sabha poll debacle, a combative Ms. Banerjee said the cultural wings of her party would engage in activities similar to the RSS, teaching students and spreading awareness about Bengal’s culture.
The Trinamool chairperson also gave slogans of ‘Jai Hind’ and ‘Joy Bangla’ to her supporters. One of Bengal’s independent social groups, Bangla Pokkho, that championed rights exclusively for Bengalis and pursues nationalism aligned to Bengal’s linguistic identity, has been advocating Joy Bangla as a slogan over the last few years.
Ms. Banerjee’s visit to Naihati during the day assumes a lot of significance as the Trinamool’s Barrackpore MP Dinesh Trivedi was defeated by Arjun Singh, the party’s Bhatpara MLA who joined the BJP recently.
Response to violence
The area has witnessed widespread post-poll violence in which Trinamool workers were targeted and forced to flee their homes.
Minutes before Ms. Banerjee addressed the gathering, Ashok Chatterjee, the chairman of the Municipality broke into tears narrating his plight. “We [Trinamool activists and their families] could not sleep from May 23,” he said. Hundreds of party supporters including those affected by the post-poll violence had gathered to hear Ms. Banerjee outside Naihati Municipality.
”I have come here to give moral support to the people. It’s shameful that 400 people have been driven out of their homes in the State,” she said. Ms. Banerjee directed the Director General of Police to act on all the FIRs registered and prepare a list of all the people affected by the violence.
Recalling her slogan after overthrowing the Left Front regime in Bengal, “We want change not revenge,” the Chief Minister said this time “it will be revenge.”
“Our revenge will be establishment of peace against the violence of the BJP,” she said in the next sentence. On the recent desertions from her party she said that she is happy that the BJP is “cleaning all the garbage.” Much of her speech was dedicated to BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Arjun Singh whom she described as ‘traitors’ and held them responsible for the violence.
”If you think that by inciting violence by some traitors, you can impose President’s rule in the State, I will be your biggest enemy,” she said, targeting the PM.
