A day after meeting Amit Shah, four Bengal families join Trinamool
Kolkata, June 29: A day after BJP President Amit Shah reached out to a number of rural families in West Bengal's Purulia district as part of his party's 'Jan Sampark Abhiyan', the members of four such families joined the state's ruling Trinamool Congress on Friday.
Trinamool leaders, who handed them the party flag in front of the media, claimed the innocent villagers were threatened by Shah to join BJP.
Purulia resident Phuchu Rajbhor, whom Shah met on Thursday, said they are not into politics but feel an affinity towards Trinamool and its supremo Mamata Banerjee. He revealed they have come to Kolkata to seek Trinamool's help after Shah went to their house.
"We have come here on our own because we were scared after his visit. No one has forced us to come here. We know Trinamool Congress and Mamata. We want her 'refuge'," Rajbhor said sitting beside Trinamool leader Madan Mitra at a party office here .
Asked whether they were asked by the BJP President to join the saffron party, the youth initially revealed they had no conversation with Shah, but later claimed they were threatened.
Mitra, who accused Shah of trying to mislead the tribal and backward classes in Purulia and thus attempting to foment trouble in the state, handed over the party flags and membership to the families.
"These are poor people who are least bothered about Amit Shah and BJP. People of Bengal have no time for such parties. They felt scared when Shah entered their humble houses and mistook him for a dacoit. So they have come here to take our party's refuge," claimed Mitra, the former Trinamool Congress MLA, who was arrested by the CBI in relation to the Saradha chit fund scam.
"BJP must know that unlike Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh, they will be challenged every inch in Bengal. Their tactics of fomenting trouble and dividing people will not work here," he said.
The state BJP leadership accused Trinamool Congress of using arm-twisting tactics on the villagers and said such "filthy politics" by the state's ruling party will come back to haunt them.
"Shah went to four or five houses in Purulia but did not pick and choose the house of BJP activists there. They have forced the villagers to come to Kolkata and surrender to their party. But they won't be able to tame the people of Bengal in this manner. People are waiting. They would give them a befitting reply at the appropriate time," BJP National Secretary Rahul Sinha said.
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Guarantee schemes model for empowering poor, Cong will return to power in 2028: Siddaramaiah
Mangaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday expressed confidence that the Congress government would return to power in the state in 2028.
He asserted that the five guarantee schemes introduced in 2023 have become a model for empowering the underprivileged, women, the unemployed and economically weaker sections, not just in the state but in the entire country.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a Kambala event at Muduru-Paduru in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, he said the welfare measures reflected the vision of the Congress government to strengthen social and economic democracy.
"The five guarantees were introduced with the sole objective of empowering the poor, marginalised and weaker sections of society. These schemes have now become a model for ensuring social and economic justice," he said.
Siddaramaiah said democracy should not remain confined to political representation alone but must also ensure social and economic empowerment.
"A democracy that is only political has little meaning unless it is socially and economically vibrant," he said, adding that the state government was working towards that goal.
The CM also praised senior Congress leader and former minister B Ramanath Rai, who organised the event, describing him as one of the most honest leaders and recalling his role in bringing developmental works worth about Rs 5,000 crore to the constituency during his tenure as MLA and minister.
Despite his contributions, Rai had lost the Assembly election from Bantwal, Siddaramaiah said, expressing hope that he would contest again from the constituency in 2028 and secure victory.
He also lauded the people of the coastal region for preserving traditional cultural practices and organising Kambala races, terming the slush track buffalo race a popular folk sport of the state.
