Hooghly: Not just the chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’, the people gathered to hear Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Dunlop ground in Hooghly district were also heard chanting ‘Har Har Modi’ (Hail Modi).
Amidst the roar in favour of Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hooghly district seemed to be under Modi fever.
Talking to Free Press Journal, Kumar Singh, a wholesaler demanded immediate polls as he along with his entire family and his relatives doesn’t want the BJP to take any more time to form the state government in West Bengal.
“The ruling Trinamool Congress has promised many things but the lockdown had shown their true face. Many lost their jobs but despite several promises, the TMC didn’t help anyone at least in the Hooghly district. They (TMC) didn’t allow the Left Front to establish the Tata industry in West Bengal. TMC didn’t even help the poor farmers to get back their lands,” mentioned Singh adding that the BJP can only help West Bengal to gain its lost glory.
Be it Assembly polls or the Parliamentary election, the BJP until 1980 didn’t cross 3 per cent of the vote share. From 3 per cent to 40 per cent in the last parliamentary election in 2019 is a huge leap. With 18 parliamentarians in their bag from two in 2014 elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the main opposition of the ruling Trinamool Congress and with the Assembly polls scheduled in a couple of months is said to be the electoral battle between the BJP and the TMC.
Ranibala, a homemaker also believes that the saffron camp can uplift the status of women in the state as despite being a woman herself, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee didn’t do anything for women.
“When someone was raped in Park Street instead of arresting the culprits the CM cried foul against the woman. The atrocities on women were very common during the Left Front regime, and Mamata Banerjee said that she will bring in Parivartan but atrocities on women increased during TMC rule. We should also give a chance to the BJP and call for Asli Parivartan,” said Ranibala amidst chant of ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
Notably, not just religion, West Bengal is also divided into languages and cultures. When the ruling Trinamool Congress always cried foul by calling BJP ‘outsiders’ and alleged that the BJP if voted to power will destroy the Bengali culture. In Hooghly not just non-Bengali, BJP seemed to be popular even amongst the Bengali.
The ‘Bhadraloks’ in Hooghly seemed to have lost all hopes from the ruling Trinamool Congress and now relying on the saffron camp.
Sayantan Banerjee, who hails from a zamindar family of Hooghly, said that the Left had done some works in West Bengal but BJP is needed to further that work as in between 10 years nothing other than atrocities happened in West Bengal.
Incidentally, the ruling Trinamool Congress’ supremo Mamata Banerjee will hold a counter-rally on the same ground on February 24.
According to poll analysts not just work, the appeasement policy of the ruling Trinamool Congress had taken a hit amongst most Hindus of the state.
“The BJP has successfully tried to portray that they are the party for the Hindus. And the appeasement policy of the TMC has been always highlighted by the saffron camp which became detrimental for the TMC. Language can be a factor but people mostly prioritize religion,” mentioned the analysts.
