"Humbled," Says Mamata Banerjee As "Didi Ke Bolo" Gets 10 Lakh Responses

Mamata Banerjee's "Didi Ke Bolo (Tell Didi)" campaign has received over 10 lakh responses in a month of its launch, the West Bengal Chief Minister said.

"I am humbled with the overwhelming response of the people on the 'Didi Ke Bolo' platform. In the last 30 days, over 10 lakh people have reached out to us with their words of appreciation for the initiative, valuable suggestions and grievances," Ms Banerjee tweeted.

The "Didi Ke Bolo" project is the idea of political strategist Prashant Kishor, who has been signed up to help the Trinamool Congress to arrest the surge of the BJP in West Bengal ahead of state election due in 2021.

I thank each one for their support and acknowledgement. We take note of their valuable suggestions and are committed to working overtime to resolve their grievances to an extent possible in an expeditious manner.(2/2)

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 29, 2019

During the campaign's launch, Ms Banerjee had said that more than 1,000 party leaders will reach out to people in 10,000 villages in Bengal and address problems of the people there.

The initiative, however, has also forced party leaders to face uncomfortable questions about allegations of extortion and cut money.

After Mr Kishor agreed to offer his professional service to the Trinamool Congress, he advised Ms Banerjee to start a "conversation" with her electorate.

In a stunning outcome of Lok Sabha election in May, the BJP won 18 of the state's 42 seats and the Trinamool Congress 22, demonstrating the extent of the slide of the ruling party that dominated polls after ending three decades of communist rule in 2011.

The BJP will be launching its own campaign called "Cha Chakrey Dilip Da (tea with Dilip Da)" in September to counter Ms Banerjee's "Didi Ke Bolo". Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh will be the face of this campaign.

(With inputs from IANS)