The trinamool congress (TMC) and the bharatiya janata party (BJP), the bitter rivals in West bengal, will square off in the lok sabha election in early March. Both parties have scheduled several public appearances by their prominent leaders.
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the state twice, staying for three days in the first week of march of next year. Meanwhile, the TMC has scheduled a sizable gathering for march 10 at Kolkata's Brigade Parade grounds. The Sandeshkhali scandal, which has put the mamata banerjee administration on the defensive, gives the events significance.
 
Modi is expected to speak at three events, one of which would be in Barasat, North 24 Parganas, which is around 80 kilometres away from Sandeshkhali. The event is slated on march 6, which is just four days before to the TMC's Brigade Parade. The last two meetings with Modi are scheduled for march 1 and 2, respectively, at Arambagh and Krishnanagar.
 
The TMC had defeated the bjp by 1,142 votes in 2019 for the lok sabha seat in Arambagh. mahua moitra of the TMC held the seat of Krishnanagar till her expulsion from the lok sabha in december of last year. The bjp wants to seize the two seats in 2024, and Modi's visits are in line with that goal.
 
The most significant event, however, will be Modi's rally in Barasat. Observers in bengal expect him to address the complaints of the Sandeshkhali populace, especially the women, in an effort to unite the votes against Mamata's party.
 
Since february 9, there have been intense protests in the island community of Sandeshkhali against Shahjahan Sheikh, the local TMC leader, on charges of engaging in sexual exploitation, land grabbing, and other wrongdoings. Villagers furious—women in particular—have rushed to the streets to demand that Shahjahan and his men be put into custody.
 
Three of Shahjahan's accused accomplices have been taken into custody by the police while he remains at large. Another person detained for allegedly inciting violence is Nirapada Sardar, a local bjp leader and former Sandeshkhali CPI(M) MLA. On february 27, the calcutta High court granted Sardar bail.
 
According to a bjp source, Sandeshkhali comes under the Basirhat lok sabha seat, where the public is unhappy with the TMC mp in office, actor-turned-politician Nusrat Jahan. "PM Modi speaking on the issue can do wonders for us, given the way things are turning out there—the local TMC henchmen either under arrest or fleeing."
 
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Mamta

G GOWTHAM

28/02/2024 10:55 AM