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WB Assembly elections: Hemant campaigns for TMC, appeals voters to defeat ‘divisive’ BJP
Chief minister and working president of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Wednesday campaigned for Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidates across three assembly segments in Purulia and Bankura districts in West Bengal and appealed the voters to defeat the “divisive” Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) as voters did in Jharkhand in the 2019 Assembly polls
Chief minister and working president of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Wednesday campaigned for Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidates across three assembly segments in Purulia and Bankura districts in West Bengal and appealed the voters to defeat the “divisive” Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) as voters did in Jharkhand in the 2019 Assembly polls.
“They (BJP) won 12 out of 14 the Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand. Months later, we defeated them badly. They boast to be the largest political party in the world, but we forced them to bite dust in Assembly elections...Now it’s your turn to defeat them in Bengal,” said Soren.
Purulia and Bankura districts in West Bengal are neighbouring districts of Jharkhand and have a sizeable population of tribals, who form the core voter base of the JMM. The Shibu Soren-led party was planning to field its own candidates in over a dozen seats, especially those dominated by tribals, before it decided to support Mamata Banerjee’s TMC that approached the former for support.
In the 2019 general elections, the BJP won Lok Sabha seats in the area and was currently locked in a direct battle with the TMC in the upcoming Assembly elections. However, canvassing for TMC candidate in Bandwan assembly segment in Purulia, CM Soren reminded the voters that success in Lok Sabha polls was not a guarantee for victory in Assembly polls.
Soren in 2019 led a three-party pre-poll alliance of the JMM-Congress and RJD to wrest power from the BJP in the last state Assembly elections with a comfortable majority in the House.
He underlined that though many parties were contesting the election in Bengal, there was a direct fight between the TMC and the BJP and it was important to defeat the “communal and divisive” forces, as the world was watching. “All they do is divide people, be it in the name of religion or caste, for votes. They pitted Hindus against Hindus, Hindus against Muslims, tribals against tribals. They just want to form the government, either by hook or crook. First, they try to buy voters. If they fail in that, they buy MLAs to form the government,” said Soren.
Terming the BJP as a “junior East India Company” that was out on a selling spree (disinvestment of public sector companies), the Jharkhand chief minister said that the BJP was “anti-tribal and anti-dalit”.
“You need to understand why tribals, dalits and minorities are still under developed despite special provisions in the Constitution. It’s because of parties like BJP and their corporate friends. They are now selling everything and as a result, there will be no meaning left for reservation in government jobs,” Soren said.
Citing example of privatisation of public banks, the CM also advised people that it was better to keep their hard earned money at home than depositing them in banks.
