Express News Service
KOLKATA: BJP high command has decided to engage its heavyweights to wrest the ruling Trinamool Congress’ citadel of Birbhum that comprises 14 Assembly constituencies.
The saffron camp is likely to send Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, and UP CM Yogi Adityanath to the south Bengal district shortly as the party showed impressive performance by bagging leads in four Assembly seats out of 14 in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The saffron camp gained remarkable momentum by taking its vote share to more than 40% in 2019 from 8% in 2016. Since we have made deep inroads in north Bengal in 2019 general elections by bagging seven Lok Sabha seats out of eight, now we are giving stress in south Bengal. We are expecting a tooth and nail battle with the TMC in Birbhum district as our performance in the previous Lok Sabha elections was impressive, said a BJP leader.
Express News Service
KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is unlikely to share the stage with Narendra Modi on Sunday in Haldia, East Midnapore, from where the Prime Minister will dedicate four projects worth Rs 4,700 crore in oil, gas, and infrastructure sectors.
The projects will be executed by the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), Gas Authority of India (GAIL), and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Despite being invited, the Bengal CM decided to skip the event in the backdrop of the apolitical January 23 event organised by the Union Information Ministry at the Victoria Memorial where she was insulted by a section of the audience who raised the Jai Shri Ram slogan in the presence of Modi, said a source in the Trinamool Congress. Irked by the slogan, Banerjee had refused to speak in protest.
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Express News Service
KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday described the large-scale exodus from her party in the recent past as the defection of greedy functionaries which would make no difference in the upcoming Assembly elections. None of our party’s grassroots workers are greedy. Those who are greedy and now scared of their previous acts are now going to the BJP to take refuge. Before we could drive them out, they left, she said while addressing a rally in Cooch Behar.
Hitting out at the saffron camp, Bengal CM said BJP is the party that lies. They (BJP) flee away after elections. They promised to turn north Bengal into Sonar Bangla. What did they do? We don’t’ want Sonar Bangla. We want basic needs of life food like food and roof over our head, she said.
Express News Service
KOLKATA: The BJP’s West Bengal chapter has sought permission from home secretary HK Dwivedi for five rath yatras from five points under the banner of ‘Parivartan Yatra’. The event will start from February 6 and continue till February 9.
The application seeking permission was accepted by the Nabanna, the state secretariat, but the nod is yet to be given.
Sources in the BJP said party heavyweights including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and national president JP Nadda are likely to participate in the events.
The raths (chariot) will travel across districts in north and south Bengal. We have already kicked off campaigns aiming at the upcoming Assembly elections in Bengal. The five yatras will be a mega event to show our strength, said a BJP leader.