Amit Shah sets stage for mega rally in Kolkata; TMC laughs it off

Union home minister Amit Shah is addressing a mega rally in Kolkata today in a bid to lay the groundwork for the BJP's upcoming campaign in West Bengal for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Despite the hype, it's almost a whistle-stop visit for Shah this afternoon, with BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar confirming the home minister was "leaving the state this evening after the rally".

"Amit Shah-ji is likely to set the tone for next year's Lok Sabha polls in Bengal," Majumdar claimed on Tuesday, 28 November, echoing sentiments expressed during another rally in April, when Shah announced the BJP target of winning more than 35 seats from the state.

In the 2019 parliamentary elections, the BJP had secured only 18 out of the 42 constituencies in West Bengal.

However, the ruling All-India Trinamool Congress (TMC) downplayed the significance of Shah's rally, asserting that it would "not yield positive results" for the saffron party.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, "The BJP launched a mega campaign during the 2021 assembly polls, but it did not yield any results. This time too, it won't have any impact."

In a post on X, Ghosh said, "BJP leaders put on their best show, mustering up a crowd for the Home Minister's circus (because, let's face it, organic support is as scarce as their believable promises); but as Mr. Shah makes his tall claims, it's like déjà vu — big words and a predictable outcome: rejection by the people of Bengal."

This morning on X, alongside the BJP supporters' favoured hashtag of #ShahErSongeSomabesh ('a get-together with Shah'), the Trinamool's #MotaBhaiVoteNai ('no votes here, Big Brother') was trending.

Ghosh seemed aligned to this campaign too, saying, "The only consistent growth is in the reduction of BJP's vote share since 2019. So, bring on the drama, because each act is another nail in your political coffin!"

Meanwhile, as Shah readied for the 'big rally', the West Bengal Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (the TMC's student wing) issued a strongly worded letter, demanding answers from the home minister on:

• The BJP's unfulfilled promises to the students and youth of the nation;

• The persisting issue of Bengal's MGNREGA and Awas Yojana funds being unjustly withheld by the Centre.

"The letter emphasizes the stark disparity between (the) BJP's claims and the ground reality, exposing the party's hollow rhetoric," says the TMC's post on X.

State president of the Trinamool Youth Congress, Saayoni Ghosh has penned a letter to Shah, asking him to address the grave condition of over 21 lakh labourers in West Bengal who have worked under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), but are yet to receive their rightful dues.

The TMC has put up posters throughout the city, mocking Shah's visit. In a post on X, it says, "The @BJP4India heavyweights might want to reconsider commuting back and forth between Delhi and Bengal because the people here have made it crystal clear: #MotaBhaiVoteNai"

Additionally, the party's youth cell plans to dispatch 51,000 letters, demanding jobs and protesting against the alleged withholding of funds from the state by the Centre.

The letters are being sent to Shah's residential address in New Delhi.