JP Nadda West Bengal visit: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda, who embarked on a three-day tour of West Bengal starting today (August 11), slammed Congress and TMC alleging them to make Bengal a 'backward state'.
"What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow. It is unfortunate to say that in the past 30-40 years under the rule of Congress or West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, no stone was left unturned to make Bengal backwards...," said Nadda at 'Sanyukt Morcha Sammelan' in Kolkata.
During this tour, Nadda will participate in a Panchayat State Conference and hold meetings with the Bengal BJP Core Committee, Members of Parliament, and legislators to review preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024.
He will also meet those who had won the recently held rural elections on BJP tickets and the victims of poll violence, said a party leader. Nadda will arrive in the city on Friday evening. The BJP president's visit to West Bengal comes at a time when the party's state unit has been plagued by internal squabbles and defections after the 2021 assembly election and a sharp decline in its vote share during the panchayat polls held last month.
"JP Nadda will be on a three-day visit to West Bengal from August 11. On Saturday, he will hold Panchayati Raj Sammelan in Howrah. Later in the evening, he will meet the party's winning candidates in panchayat elections and the victims of poll violence at Science City Auditorium," the state BJP leader said.
Eastern Regional Conference:
West Bengal will host the Eastern Regional Conference starting on August 12 (Saturday), with the presence of 134 workers and district council members from the Eastern Region, including Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Odisha, and Jharkhand.
Nadda is expected to arrive in West Bengal on August 11 and attend a meeting with the party officials from the Eastern Region. Besides JP Nadda, BJP's National General Secretary, BL Santosh, is also expected to be present at the meeting, and there's a possibility of virtual participation by Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Focusing on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, there is a likelihood of JP Nadda holding a separate meeting with Bengal BJP officials who have emerged victorious in the Panchayat elections on August 13. Despite instances of violence, the party managed to win seats extensively.
Events scheduled for August 12:
On August 12, BJP President JP Nadda will also meet with the Bengal BJP Core Group to discuss the discussions about the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. On August 13, before the Panchayat Raj Conference, Shah and Nadda might visit the homes of workers who lost their lives during the Bengal Panchayat elections and also hold a meeting with the party's elected representatives and legislators.
Events scheduled for August 13:
Nadda will on Sunday (August 13) hold meetings with all elected representatives of the party- MPs, MLAs, and zilla parishad members- from the state. "Later in the day (Sunday), he will hold a meeting with the state office bearers and take stock of the party's organisation in West Bengal," the state BJP leader said.
Nadda will also visit Dakshineswar temple and offer puja during his three-day stay in the state. The ruling Trinamool Congress declined to attach much importance to the scheduled visit of the BJP president.
"As Lok Sabha polls are approaching, BJP leaders will come to the state more frequently. But they should visit Manipur, which is burning," senior TMC leader Tapas Ray said.
Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah had set a target of winning more than 35 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal. The BJP won 18 out of the 42 parliamentary constituencies in the state in 2019.
Notably, former union minister Babul Supriyo, party MP Arjun Singh and six legislators, including national vice-president Mukul Roy, have switched to TMC since the 2021 assembly polls. The Trinamool Congress came to power for the third consecutive term in the state in 2021 by winning 215 of the 292 assembly seats to which polling was held, while the BJP bagged 77.
(With agencies inputs)
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