Trinamul national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday trained guns at state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar in South Dinajpur, the latter’s home district, on the eighth day of the Trinamul leader’s Sanjog Yatra that began from Cooch Behar.

Abhishek's statewide outreach, Trinamul-ey Nobojowar, has two parts — rallies on foot in Sanjog Yatra, and taking people’s recommendations for candidates for panchayat polls in Grambanglar Motamot.

“I would like to challenge Sukanta Majumdar, who is the local (Balurghat) MP, to come up with 10 examples of recommendations he made to the Centre to expedite development in Balurghat and the district.... he has never sent a single letter to the central government referring to developmental schemes and projects that can be taken up in this district,” Abhishek said at a public meeting in Harirampur in South Dinajpur.

At the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Majumdar defeated Trinamul’s Arpita Ghosh by around 33,000 votes.

In the 2021 Assembly polls, Trinamul and the BJP won three each.

On Majumdar’s home turf, Abhishek added: “He should first spend six nights in all six Assembly seats of this district and listen to people. So far, the BJP leaders have only acted against the interest of common people (in Bengal) by asking the Centre to withhold funds for social welfare schemes...."

Abhishek also accused the Centre of increasing people’s tax burden and playing the religion card ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

“After forming the government, they (the BJP) started imposing taxes and charges on people, which hiked prices of essential items. Here, chief minister Mamata Banerjee could have easily collected around Rs 50,000 crore by increasing taxes.... But instead, she introduced Lakshmir Bhandar (for women beneficiaries). This is the difference,” Abhishek said.

Contacted, Majumdar mocked Abhishek’s remarks.

“He (Abhishek) is not aware that I have spent several nights at common peoples’ houses,” said the BJP state chief. “His so-called drive is simply an attempt to revive the party’s support base. State funds are being spent for this political event."

Tribal women

Abhishek on Tuesday also met three of the four tribal women who were forced to perform the “dandi” ritual of atonement on April 7, reportedly, by Pradipta Chakraborty, who was then district chief of Trinamul women’s wing, for deserting Trinamul and joining the BJP. After the ritual, they were re-inducted into Trinamul. He spoke to them at Chaksathihar in Tapan block, accompanied by party leaders Biplab Mitra, Mrinal Sarkar, Snehalata Hembram and Santosh Hansda.

The party removed Pradipta as the party's district women's wing chief, but she is still the vice-chairperson of the Trinamul-run Balurghat municipality.

Abhishek said the stature of a party leader didn't matter in case of wrongdoing.