West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will travel to Nandigram on January 18 to address a rally. The decision was announced after a key meeting of the Trinamool Congress at Mamata Banerjee's residence in Kolkata which was attended by all the top leaders of the party. The Trinamool Congress also announced replacements for the posts left vacant after the exits in the last few days.
When asked if Mamata Banerjee's rally was an answer to the BJP's event on Friday, Trinamool Congress leader and MP Saugata Roy told reporters, "Don't ask me about the BJP. Mamata Banerjee is going to Nandigram on January 18 to hold a rally and the next day she is going to be in Purulia."
The announcement came on a day when the BJP held a massive rally in Nandigram on Friday with its own leaders and imports from the Trinamool Congress including the latest one, Suvendu Adhikari.
The rally was attended by the BJP's Bengal in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya, State President Dilip Ghosh and former Trinamool-turned-BJP politicians like Mukul Roy. Kailash Vijayvargiya attacked the Trinamool and promised that the BJP would "free the people from the dictatorship of the Trinamool".
State BJP President Dilip Ghosh alleged, "They tried to disrupt this massive rally with a small incident. I want to thank you for upsetting their plans." What perhaps was the most interesting moment of the rally was Dilip Ghosh embracing Suvendu Adhikari with a hug. Mr Ghosh said "I am just a visitor here. The real hero of this film is Suvendu Adhikari." The comment is significant as many observers expect a turf war between Suvendu Adhikari and Dilip Ghosh. Mr Adhikari has also announced a counter rally to Mamata Banerjee's rally on January 18.
The crowds at the BJP rally are bound to worry the Trinamool leadership. Suvendu Adhikari had promised a massive gathering in Nandigram in December last year and the turnout shows that he remains a political heavyweight in this area. Trinamool sources say Suvendu Adhikari has betrayed the party and the fact that he was in touch with the BJP earlier meant that he could have caused more damage to the party's prospects in the area from the inside rather than the outside.
Mamata Banerjee's rally will be a key indicator of which way the wind is blowing in these areas, especially after Suvendu Adhikari's exit from the Trinamool in a region where the Trinamool had become practically unbeatable with Suvendu Adhikari's credentials.
Mamata Banerjee's rally in Nandigram is significant as it was the Singur and Nandigram agitations that catapulted the party to power ten years ago and the BJP seems to have made inroads in these areas causing worry for the Trinamool Congress. What has also resulted in more challenges for the Trinamool in these areas is desertions from the party. The BJP is cashing in on the fact that Mukul Roy and Suvendu Adhikari are now with the BJP, given the fact that they were key players during the Nandigram and Singur agitations.
