Trinamul’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee trained guns at the Congress, along with the saffron camp, as he spoke at a public meeting in Malda on Wednesday, a move which is being seen as a strategy to exert pressure on the Congress as he is entering traditional Congress bastions like Malda and Murshidabad.

Abhishek reached Malda from South Dinajpur on Wednesday. He visited a temple, got down at multiple locations like Habibpur, Bulbulchandi and Gazole and walked on the road and finally reached Samsi to speak at a meeting.

“We have a senior Congress MP from Malda. Also, the state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Choudhury, who is also an MP, is from the neighbouring Murshidabad district. They have never been vocal at the central government that has halted funds of social welfare schemes for Bengal. These leaders speak on a number of issues but are silent on this vital issue,” said the Trinamul MP.

Since April 25, when he launched “Sanyog Yatra,” the statewide outreach drive in Dinhata of Cooch Behar, Abhishek has been vocal against the saffron camp. Today, however, he tossed verbal volleys at Congress.

“The MPs (of BJP and Congress) whom you have voted for, either remain mute on the issue (of halt in allocation of funds) or write to the Centre to stop providing funds to our state,” he added.

Such blatant attacks at the Congress indicate that Trinamul is not undermining the party’s political base, especially in minority-dominated districts like Malda and Murshidabad, feel political observers.

They pointed out that the minority vote bank had always been Trinamul’s strength. Also, the recent win of Byron Biswas (a Congress candidate backed by the Left) at the by-election in Sagardighi seat of Murshidabad, a district which has a minority population of around 70 per cent, has come as a jolt for the party, they said.

“This seems to have made Trinamul redraw its strategy and there are hints that Abhishek Banerjee will continue to be vocal at Congress during the next two days when he reaches Murshidabad. He has started flagging the same old issue of the Centre halting funds for Bengal and tossing questions at Congress MPs,” an observer said.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee will attend an event that would be hosted as a part of the outreach drive.

Mamata, who arrived here today late evening, is likely to reach Sustani More, a locality that is on the outskirts of Malda town tomorrow after she attends an administrative review meeting.

“She will jointly attend the event with Abhishek Banerjee,” said a source.