Nandigram: In keeping with the overtly communal campaign in West Bengal’s Nandigram, the BJP’s candidate in the constituency, Suvendu Adhikari, told ThePrint that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee only promoted appeasement politics throughout her 10-year tenure while ignoring the majority community.
“Mamata has only promoted appeasement politics in every corner of Bengal while ignoring the majority,” Adhikari told ThePrint in an interview Wednesday.
“She recently demanded four capitals in India while her Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Alam has said that there will be four Pakistans in India. What is all this? Mamata even sought proof of the surgical strikes, which hurt all patriots in the country.”
Adhikari, once a protege of Mamata, is now locked in a high-stakes battle with the chief minister at Nandigram, which votes in the second phase of elections on 1 April.
Campaigning in the constituency came to an end Tuesday, but in the last few days it descended into communal mud-slinging, with Adhikari frequently addressing Banerjee as “begum” and referring to Pakistan to attack her, while the chief minister invokes the names of “Duryodhan and Dushasan” to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, without taking their names, and also uses terms such as “doitya (demon)” and “dangabaaj (rioters)”.
Adhikari, however, told ThePrint that “development” is the BJP’s chief poll plank in the state.
“The main issue of these elections is the poriborton (change) that Mamata promised during the 2011 assembly elections but forgot after assuming power,” he said. “She has not fulfilled those aspirations and now people are supporting the BJP to bring in the poriborton. It is now sure that Mamata is losing the elections. The BJP is coming to power and will fulfill the people’s aspirations.”
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‘Mamata doing appeasement politics’
Adhikari reiterated his charges that Mamata was only concerned with one community.
“When our soldiers went to Pakistan after the Pulwama incident, she asked for proof. She has also said that there should be four capitals in India. Patriots have doubts about her,” he said.
“Just four days ago, TMC leader Sheikh Alam Khan said they want to create four Pakistans here. People of Bengal are aware of their appeasement politics.”
He also said that the chief minister was aware of the writing on the wall for her party, adding that this was why she left her constituency of Bhawanipur to contest at Nandigram.
“Mamata has become unpopular even in her own constituency. In the last parliamentary elections, the BJP led by 500 votes in the booth that she and her family always vote in,” he said. “Even her own neighbours and those in her lane voted against Mamata. So she fled Bhawanipur and came to Nandigram. She will now lose here too.”
Asked if he will be the chief ministerial candidate if the BJP wins the election, Adhikari played down the question. “That will be decided by the BJP parliamentary board at the right time,” he said.
A survival battle
For all of the high-octane campaign, even BJP leaders admit that the Nandigram election will also determine Adhikari’s political future.
Adhikhari’s family holds massive influence in East Medinipur, which has nine seats including Nandigram. Around 18 seats in East and West Medinipur vote in the second phase on 1 April.
Of these 18 votes, the TMC won 13 in the 2016 assembly elections. But in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP led in 14 of the 18 seats.
“Since Suvendu Adhikari has huge influence in this area, the BJP is banking on him to ensure good results in these two district,” senior BJP leader Joy Prakash Majumdar told ThePrint. “That is the reason the prime minister himself campaigned at Contai in the district and Home Minister Amit Shah held a roadshow in Nandigram and Debra.”
Another senior BJP leader admitted that Adhikari has gambled his future by contesting from Nandigram. “If he wins, he will be the undisputed top BJP leader,” the senior leader said. “If he loses and does not get the party a good number of seats in Medinipur, his future will be in shambles.”
The chief minister also alluded to this in her rally at Nandigram Tuesday. Mamata said that due to Adhikari’s ambitions, his family “will remain na ghar ka, na ghat ka (neither here nor there)” after the Assembly elections.
(Edited by Arun Prashanth)
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Suvendu Adhikari has placed all his political eggs in one basket. He has also promised he would quit politics if he wasn’t able to trounce Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram constituency. Some observers say the election in that particular constituency has excessively narrowed down along the communal lines. When close to Mamata, was Suvendu involved in any scandal or scam that he was likely to lose TMC’s nomination and the grace of his mentor? There was also an impression going around that Suvendu got that sense in advance and quit the TMC to join the BJP. It’s also reported that defectors or turncoats from other parties had crowded out genuine and more deserving candidates from the BJP cadre. The stakes are high for both the sides. We will know the verdict of the people on 2 May 2021.