Doctors, IITians, lawyers — BJP’s army of Bengal professionals & their big job ahead of polls

BJP has engaged groups of professionals to meet people on the streets and provide their feedback to the party on the promises not kept by Mamata govt.

A BJP rally at Titagarh near Kolkata | Twitter: @BJP4Bengal

New Delhi: With Home Minister Amit Shah treating the West Bengal assembly elections as his top priority for the new year, the BJP has already begun preparing for the polls.

The party is placing special emphasis on its manifesto and has formed a 20-member committee for the purpose. The committee has held three meetings so far.

The BJP, however, has also engaged 70-100 professionals such as doctors, IIT graduates, professors and lawyers, and even a street play group, to better refine the process. The professionals have been instructed to meet people on the street and provide feedback on their wishes for the state.

They all work under the ‘Professionals for Bengal’ organisation that the BJP has formed for the elections.

“We want genuine feedback and suggestions from the public about their problems and aspirations that have not been met by the Mamata Banerjee government,” said Anupam Hazra, the BJP national secretary who runs the Professionals For Bengal group, a brainchild of Shivprakash, BJP joint general secretary and former RSS member.

“The professional group has lawyers, doctors, professors and IITians who are meeting not only in their own community but general people to gauge mood and seek political suggestions that can be part of the manifesto,” he added. “Our group is meeting people in an informal way without the BJP flag as once you seek suggestions under a party banner, people don’t give honest opinions because of the polarised situation. There is also the fear of the TMC.”

According to Hazra, the professionals meet people for evening tea at any corner and ask them about their concerns.

BJP activates 2018 group

Another organisation that is seeking feedback for the BJP is the Save Bengal Group, which was also formed by Shivprakash.

It is now operated by Animesh Biswas, a former member of the BJP intellectual cell and an engineer by profession.

According to Biswas, the group set up in 2018 has a unit in every district and a 12,000-member strong network of young professionals, including students from IIT Kharagpur and IIM Kolkata.

“We are collecting suggestions from the ground since we have a large network in colleges, among doctors and engineers,” Biswas told ThePrint. “They are meeting and sending voluminous suggestions, which we will be sent to the manifesto committee. Corruption-free employment opportunities, creation of jobs and admission in colleges are a few of the suggestions we have received.”

Hazra said a dedicated street play group will also help the manifesto committee. “People generally don’t open up about Mamata,” he said. “We have deputed these groups to make these conversations lighter and seek feedback.”

Poll thrust on industrialisation, law & order, good governance

The BJP manifesto committee has shortlisted industrialisation, law and order and good governance as the three key areas that the party’s poll campaign will focus on.

“A major area we have focused on is creation of jobs. The Mamata government has failed in providing employment and industry is nowhere in Bengal,” said Subhas Sarkar, the Bankura MP and a member of the manifesto committee. “We will promise a substantial number of jobs in the government and private sectors. We have collected data on vacant positions in government departments and it is a huge number — over 20 lakh.”

Sarkar said the manifesto will also promise efforts to revive the private sector in the state. “Another main focus will be on how industry can be provided incentives and how an investment friendly atmosphere can be created in the state,” he added. “Infrastructure in the health sector and education are the other key focus areas that we have discussed at length.”

Hazra said the party will also propose better policing mechanisms, timely redressal of FIRs and the security and safety of women. “We want some sort of regulation so that in no government, police act on behalf of political parties,” Hazra said. “We are discussing how this can be institutionalised within a framework.”