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Amit Shah in Kolkata:150 college teachers, 6 ex-VCs likely to attend meet
Around 650 people have been invited to the meeting where Shah will deliver a speech on the 180th birth anniversary of novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay who composed Vande Mataram.
As many as 150 college and university teachers, six former vice chancellors and members of a few families of freedom fighters will attend a meeting to be addressed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Wednesday, the first day of his two-day trip to the state to oversee preparedness for the Lok Sabha elections next year.
Around 650 people have been invited to the meeting in the evening when Shah will deliver a speech on the 180th birth anniversary of legendary novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay who composed Vande Mataram. Most of the teachers are below 40 years of age.
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This is one of the four meetings that Shah will address on Wednesday. On Thursday he will visit Purulia and Birbhum districts.
BJP state unit however is not directly involved in Wednesday’s event. It is being organised by Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based frontal organisation headed by Anirban Ganguly, a member of BJP’s policy research wing.
“Apart from several prominent academics, members of families of freedom fighters will also attend the event that is aimed at reviving Bengal’s history of free thinking, patriotism, devotional thoughts and respect for its rich heritage of which Chattopadhyay and Mookerjee are two prominent names,” Ganguly said.
Prominent among those supposed to be present are literary researcher Amitrasudan Bhattacharya, Netaji researcher Purabi Roy and singer-musician Ranjan Prasad. Bloggers and radio jockeys have also been invited.
In Bengal, artists and intellectuals played leading roles behind the two most important regime changes – the Left’s victory in 1977 that lasted for 34 years and the Trinamool’s victory in 2011. Amit Shah, aware of this political history, has repeatedly told Bengal BJP leaders that it would be impossible to win Bengal without winning over the intellectuals.
Over the past seven years of Trinamool regime, many artists and intellectuals who wanted change from the Left regime have criticised the Trinamool rule. They include poet Sankha Ghosh, theatre personalities Bibhas Chakraborty, Saonli Mitra, Kaushik Sen, Rudra Prasad Sengupta, painter Samir Aich and singer Pratul Mukhopadhyay. However, they did not lean towards the saffron camp.
During BJP’s Jansampark Abhiyan in Bengal, state leaders met actors Soumitra Chatterjee and Manoj Mitra, painter Samir Aich, Naxalite-leader-turned-writer Santosh Rana and singer Amar Pal, to apprise them of the Modi government’s achievements and seek their suggestions. The leaders were greeted with criticism.
“We’ll tell Shah that most of the celebrated intellectuals prefer staying close to those in power. Moreover, celebrities are not the only intellectuals. There are teachers, researchers, engineers, doctors and former army men who influence people. We are getting in touch with them,” said BJP state president Dilip Ghosh.
On Wednesday, Shah will also meet the party’s election management team, social media team and vistaraks (campaigners).
