Leaders from both the ruling Trinamul Congress and the BJP are leaving no stone unturned to send a message they stood firmly behind the bereaved families of sepoy Rajesh Orang and havildar Bipul Roy, who were martyred in the India-China standoff in Ladakh.
On Wednesday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the state government would give Rs 5 lakh to the families of the martyrs, besides promising government job for a member of each family.
On Thursday, Mamata's party organised rallies in each of the 19 blocks of Birbhum and all five municipal towns in memory of Orang, who was a resident of the Belgoria village in Birbhum’s Mohammedbazar. Trinamul leaders put up banners with the words “Rajesh Orang Amar Rahe’ (Long live Rajesh Orang) with at least 500 party workers in each area.
Orang’s body arrived at the Panagarh airbase around 7.35pm on Thursday. State ministers Chandranath Sinha and Moloy Ghatak, along with Jiten Tiwari, the mayor of Asansol Municipal Corporation, were present at the airbase to receive the mortal remains. Anubrata Mondal, the Birbhum Trinamul chief, said he would be present during Orang’s last rites.
Party MLA and state agriculture minister Asish Banerjee went to meet Orangs’s family members and assured them of all cooperation.
The BJP also fielded leaders so that they could be seen around the family members of Orang. The BJP had initially sent two parliamentarians — Locket Chatterjee and Saumitra Khan — to receive Orang’s body at Panagarh.
Chatterjee and Khan decided to leave for Orang’s native place as the arrival of the flight got delayed. At Ornag's home, both the MPs met the family of the late soldier and expressed condolences. “We promise that we will stand by the families of our martyred soldiers at any cost,” Chatterjee said.
Congress leaders, including former Jangipur MP Abhijit Mukherjee and Hasan MLA Miltan Rashid, also visited Orang’s house, where his mortal remains will be taken on Friday morning.
Chatterjee said Trinamul was trying to do politics with Orang’s death by referring to the rallies that the ruling party brought out in Birbhum.
Trinamul, on the other hand, accused the BJP of politicising the deaths of soldiers.
Though the leaders of the two parties exchanged barbs in Birbhum, in Alipurduar, representatives of the two rival political camps rose above partisan politics and together visited the family of havildar Roy on Wednesday.
Sourav Chakraborty, the Trinamul MLA of Alipurduar, with district BJP chief Gangaprasad Sharma by his side, visited Bindipara village to meet Niren Roy, the martyr’s father. Both the leaders committed to standing by the family that had lost its elder son.
Chakraborty again reached Bindipara on Thursday to oversee arrangements, which are being made by the state to provide the villagers with a chance to pay homage to the slain soldier.
Sources said Chakraborty and some other Trinamul leaders would be present during the last rites as well.
Three BJP MPs, John Barla of Alipurduar, Nisith Pramanik of Cooch Behar and Jayanta Roy of Jalpaiguri, will reach Hasimara Air Force Station where Roy’s body will arrive on Friday morning. They will accompany the mortal remains to Bindipara. Roy’s wife and daughter, who are currently in Meerut, will also reach Bagdogra from Delhi in a flight, said sources.
