Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday urged the civil society to come forward and show the way, advise the political leadership of the country on the way forward, in her plea for all like-minded forces to close the ranks against the BJP in their common quest for ousting the right-wing force from the Centre, in order “to save the country, save the democracy”.

During an interactive session with civil society members at the Y.B. Chavan Centre in Mumbai’s Nariman Point, organised by the likes of poet Javed Akhtar and columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni, the Bengal chief minister asked the civil society to do its bit in saving the country.

“Unfortunately, we are facing the cruel attitude and undemocratic attitude… unethical. I do not know how we are being tortured… in the name of right-wing, one political party, the BJP. I am sorry to mention the name,” said Mamata in response to a question from filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who lauded her as “a face of hope”.

“If we want to really fight them, let us be united. Wherever you are, speak out. Bowl them out. You can bowl them out. We can fight it out. Never say no. Never say we cannot,” she added to loud cheers from the audience. “That’s why, instead of political parties… political parties will do their job. But you are the main pillar of society. You do your job.”

The event had in attendance scores of civil society members known for speaking out against the saffron regime in recent years, such as actors Swara Bhaskar, Richa Chadha, Kubbra Sait, author Shobhaa De, comedians Munawar Faruqui, Aditi Mittal, Agrima Joshua, activist Medha Patkar, and actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha.

The Trinamul Congress chief, felicitated by the gathering for her resounding victory against the BJP in Bengal this summer, said she believed there ought to be an advisory body of eminent civil society members to guide the political parties – presumably, those currently in the national Opposition – to get their act together.

“Such civil society meetings, do it in every state. Unite everyone. If you can do it, then these people (the right-wing) will get scared,” she said, adding that she had suggested a group of experts or an advisory council from the civil society to the Congress on a number of occasions, but her advice remained unheeded. She said the likes of Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former Chief Election Commissioner of India S.Y. Quraishi, Kulkarni and Akhtar should be in such a body.

“That (body) will advise us…. People like you, together, without our interference…. You give us direction, what we should do, what we should not do,” said Mamata during the 90-mminute event.

“You advise us, you people guide us, you give us the suggestion. So that you control the political parties, that you (the parties) have to do like this and you have to save the country. Our motto is to save the country, to save the democracy. If you want to save the democracy, then we have to work together… means, your society is a big society, it cannot be left out,” she added.

When Bhaskar lauded her because “khyala hoye gyachhey (the game is over)”, congratulating her for the resounding victory against the BJP in Bengal, Mamata said the khyala had only just begun.

Addressing Bhaskar, and referring to the likes of her, Chadha and Sait, Mamata asked: “Why don’t you join politics? Tough ladies and strong ladies….”

Asked specifically by De if Mamata was willing to throw her hat in the ring as an answer to the question – often pitched by the saffron camp as the principal logic for keeping the BJP in power – “if not (Narendra) Modi, then who”, the chief minister asked: “Why don’t you try for yourself? Why only politicians?”

“The matter is not for Prime Minister. The main aim should be wiping out the BJP… and saving the democracy…. Automatically, the situation will decide all this…. But first, khyala hobey (the game is on),” said the Trinamul chief.