Trinamool woos its sulking old time workers. Mass outreach campaign Banglar Gorbo Mamata (Bengal’s Pride Mamata) aims to bring them back showing respect.
Kolkata, March 07, 2020 (IANS) Gearing up for a tough challenge from the BJP in next year’s state assembly polls, West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress has now turned to its workers who were associated with the party since its birth over two decades back but have now become inactive feeling neglected.
Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee made clear the party’s strategy on this issue on Saturday while inaugurating the mass outreach campaign Banglar Gorbo Mamata (Bengal’s Pride Mamata) in his assembly constituency Behala West.
Woo sulking old time workers
“Many of those workers who were involved with the party during its formation in 1998 have now become inactive. They are sulking. We have to bring them in our fold again showing them the utmost respect. We shouldn’t give any importance to those who may not like this plan,” Chatterjee said addressing Trinamool workers.
The conflict between the original Trinamool workers and the late entrants — particularly those who have joined the party after it came to power in the state in 2011 — has been continuing for years. There are many Trinamool old hands who resent the importance given by the leadership to the new recruits, many of whom were bitterly opposed to the party when it was in the opposition.
With the BJP virtually breathing down Trinamool’s neck by capturing 18 of the 42 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Trinamool leadership now seems desperate to reach out to its old warhorses. Chatterjee indicated as much.
“You can’t neglect our old workers, whether you like them or not. Forget who has abused whom, whether somebody has worked during election time or not.
“They have to be called back. Felicitate them on the stage and give them the recognition they deserve as oldtime workers,” he said.
Bengal’s Pride Mamata Programme
In fact, the programme Bengal’s Pride Mamata, devised by election strategist Prashant Kishore and his I-PAC team roped in by the party after its Lok Sabha setback, has created a window for assuaging these disgruntled workers.
On March 15, the party would felicitate around 10,000 veteran Trinamool workers as a mark of recognition of their contribution to the party.
In every constituency, 35-40 such workers would be invited to have lunch with the local party leadership. They would also be presented scarves.
The party during the day made a big-bang start to the Bengal’s Pride Mamata campaign by holding workers’ conferences and press meets in all the 294 assembly constituencies in the state.
In each of the constituencies, either the local MLA or the assembly seat coordinator inaugurated the campaign.
The 75-day outreach programme divided into three phases aims to mobilize over 75,000 leaders and more than five lakh grass-root workers to reach out to 2.5 crore people across Bengal.
