The flamboyant stage presence and performance of Abhishek Banerjee, the indisputable Number Two of the Trinamul Congress, on the Brigade Parade Grounds on Sunday appeared to match those of his aunt and chief minister Mamata Banerjee in terms of star power.

The 36-year-old leader conducted the core segments of the main event of the Jonogorjon (People’s Roar) rally as the master of ceremonies and was the penultimate speaker before Mamata although he was brought on again by her to announce the names of Trinamul’s 42 Lok Sabha candidates in Bengal.

In a first for Trinamul ahead of an election of note, the Diamond Harbour MP was asked by Mamata — who otherwise does it herself — to announce the names of all 42 candidates for the party for the Lok Sabha polls.

The Diamond Harbour MP started attending the event in the afternoon with a march up and down the cross-shaped ramp — a unique feature of the rally. The march was obviously a choreographed crowd-connect initiative, replete with countless waves, greetings with folded hands and gestures of obeisance to the people. He got on all fours on the ramp and touched the floor with his head, thrice — that generated thunderous applause from the crowd of lakhs.

Abhishek kept his address precise and interactive, asking the crowd a lot of questions (to essentially imply Mamata and her regime are better than Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government). He also occasionally infused humour: while announcing the names of candidates, when it was Diamond Harbour’s turn, he turned to others on the main dais and shrugged, saying he didn’t know who it was. Aroop Biswas and
other leaders ran to the mic and announced Abhishek’s name.

The showmanship, however, did not dilute the pungence of his attack on the saffron camp.

“People have been saying a bunch of things, such as ‘Trinamul will be obliterated after an exodus of leaders’. The bohiragawto (outsiders) have given many a speech in the past few weeks…. They may have the power of money, central (probe) agencies, and even certain sections of the judiciary. But Trinamul has the power of the people. Let the competition take place, and everything will be clear as daylight,” said Abhishek.

“The jonogorjon (people’s roar) here proves that the decision (of the people) will be to bid adieu to the jomidar (feudal lords), the bohiragawto, and the forces of oppression,” he added.

Underscoring all key elements of the principal campaign planks of Trinamul for the coming general election, Abhishek kept cheerleading through his address, ensuring the crowd was sufficiently warmed up before his aunt took the dais.

“I want everyone here to shout ‘Joy Bangla’ at the top of their lungs… let’s make sure it sends shivers down the spine of those in Delhi, let’s cause a political earthquake there,” he said, to roars from the audience.

The Diamond Harbour MP mocked Modi over his so-called guarantees and sought to establish that his aunt was the one who provided genuine guarantees to the people, which she means to and does fulfil.

“Whose guarantee does Bengal want? Modi’s or Didi’s?” he asked.

“Whom will you choose, Bengal’s bhoomi-putro (sons of the soil) or the bohiragawto?” he added. “Those who don’t even understand our language, how can they understand our hearts?”

A senior in Trinamul, who has been watching Abhishek closely for over a decade, said he was thrilled to see the young leader come into his own.

“He was in his element today…. The event was as much Abhishek’s as it was hers (Mamata’s), and he made it that,” said the insider.