The BJP video called the TMC's 'Didi Ke Bolo' initiative a hollow one. It, in turn, said, "Now the state's most popular leader, Dilip Ghosh, will visit your area, to discuss your problems with you over a cup of tea."
Challenging the West Bengal government's 'Didi Ke Bolo' (Tell Didi) mass outreach campaign, an initiative to help the people of the state get a platform for lodging complaints directly with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the BJP has come up with an innovative counter with Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh in the limelight. Ghosh is all set to visit villages across the state and directly hear people's complaints and grievances over a cup of tea - an initiative that the BJP has termed 'Cha Chakra' (tea circle).
The state unit of the saffron party on Thursday released a video letting know of the initiative. The text in the video literally throws an open challenge to the 'Didi Ke Bolo' initiative by saying that unlike the TMC initiative, BJP's programme will not involve a superfluous display of concern for the public through phone calls or letters, but will get directly down to business as Dilip Ghosh will himself make visits across villages in 'Cha Chakra' for discussing problems with the public, face to face.
The BJP video called the TMC's 'Didi Ke Bolo' initiative a hollow one. It, in turn, said, "Now the state's most popular leader, Dilip Ghosh, will visit your area, to discuss your problems with you over a cup of tea. For details regarding dates, visit your nearest BJP party office." According to Ghosh, the 'Cha Chakra' initiative will help the party understand people's grievances more effectively and reach out to the masses in areas that are necessary.
The 'Didi Ke Bolo' initiative was inaugurated on July 29 by the TMC after a suggestion by political strategist Prashant Kishore, who was appointed after the party had faced a grave challenge from the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. The saffron party had amassed a total of 18 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, just four short of TMC's tally of 22. Several political commentators have viewed the appointment of Kishore as a precautionary measure for the ruling party to secure the party's position before the 2021 Assembly Elections.
The initiative was aimed at extending the connection of the party leaders with the masses as well as with the village and district level party workers. A phone number and a website were launched on part of the West Bengal government. The Chief Minister's grievance cell oversees the operation from an office at Rajarhat where calls get registered, the complaints lodged, and the contact information of the caller noted. The caller usually receives a reply within 48 hours. CM Mamata Banerjee had also instructed 1,000 party leaders to interact more with the party workers in 10,000 villages across 100 days. The party leaders were even asked to stay the night over dinner at the party workers' residences to enable free vertical interaction within the party.
Under that initiative, the Chief Minister was seen to be visiting a number of villages in Digha in Bengal's Purba Medinipur district, where she heard complaints from villagers. On Wednesday she was even found to be preparing tea at a local tea shack in the coastal town.
For now, West Bengal remains a hotbed of political conflict between the TMC and the BJP. This recent bid by the BJP is another move in the state's political stage, where both parties are now contending for extending the mass appeal and public support base to their respective favour, experts said.
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 "President of the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party Dilip Ghosh")
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