Mamata Banerjee on Monday directed chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi to carry out extensive branding on various state government schemes in Hindi on the way to Sagar Island and on Gangasagar Mela premises.

The instruction has captured the ruling Trinamul’s plans to showcase the “Bengal model of development” to expand its base in other states ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“Many people want to know about the various schemes of our government.... A lot of people from other states will come for Gangasagar Mela. So, put up hoardings on our government’s schemes in Hindi on the way to Sagar island and on Gangasagar Mela premises,” the chief minister told Dwivedi during a preparatory meeting held at Nabanna on Monday.

Mamata’s instruction to the chief secretary followed a comment by one of the participants in the meeting, who hailed the state government’s initiatives in creating proper facilities at Gangasagar. “We want to see you as the Prime MInister of India in 2024,” said the participant.

The chief minister, who was chairing the meeting, didn’t offer any comment, but after a brief pause, passed the instruction for extensive branding to Dwivedi.

The Gangasagar Mela — undoubtedly the biggest pilgrimage fair in eastern India — would be held from January 8 to 14. Lakhs of pilgrims from across the country turn up at the southern tip of Gangetic Delta every year on the day of Makar Sankranti and take a dip in the holy water with a belief that it will wash away their sorrows and sins.

Since coming to power in 2011, Mamata took special initiatives to create proper facilities for pilgrims, who visit Gangasagar, about 100km from Calcutta.

The next edition of the pilgrimage fair, however, will for the first time witness branding by the state government on how its welfare schemes changed the lives of people in Bengal.

Some Trinamul insiders this correspondent spoke to said the plan to use the pilgrimage fair for branding of state government schemes was a “smart idea”.

“We are projecting the chief minister as the next prime minister of the country. We have witnessed that people of other states are eager to know about the schemes rolled out in Bengal, which helped her win three successive elections. As lakhs of people from other states would come for pilgrimage to Gangasagar, the decision to use the occasion to highlight government schemes would spread the word on how she has changed Bengal,” said a source.

In view of the large participation of people from north India in the fair, it has also been decided to put up Hindi signages across the fair premises and along the route to Gangasagar.

During the preparatory meeting, Mamata made it clear to the civil and police administration that the pilgrims should not face any hardship in Gangasagar. “We will also keep a strict vigil to ensure that no one can create any mischief or play divisive politics during the Gangasagar Mela,” she said, before adding that Bengal would show the path of inclusiveness.

The government will put a 51km-long barricade on Sagar Islands to avoid any kind of chaos. Moreover, the government is deploying more than 2,500 state-run buses to ferry pilgrims from Calcutta to Gangasagar.

The government is also keeping a 600-bed Covid hospital ready for the Mela purpose in addition to 11 safe homes and 5 isolation centres. Besides, three water ambulances and two air ambulances would be deployed during the fair in January.