Under the Modi era, the Bharatiya Janata Party has made a penchant by promoting grass root leaders and battering dynasty politics which is rampant in the Opposition camp be it the INC, TMC, SP, SS, DMK or the TRS to name a few. Over the past few years, hardly any dynast has clashed with the BJP and managed to win. In a bid to further corner Mamata Banerjee, Amit Shah has managed to turn the entire TMC top brass against Mamata’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, without the West Bengal CM catching a whiff of it as the exodus from TMC continues unabated.
As BJP continues to induct high profile leaders from the TMC who have strong grassroots presence — the common grouse shared by the disgruntled TMC leaders is the growing importance and significance of Abhishek Banerjee in the TMC and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has had a major role to further exacerbate the situation.
A day after former TMC leaders Rajib Banerjee, Baishali Dalmiya, Prabir Ghoshal, Rathin Chakraborti, and Rudranil Ghosh switched over to the BJP, Amit Shah stated, “Leaders of the Trinamool Congress and other parties are joining Bharatiya Janata Party. By the time the elections will be held in Bengal, Mamata Didi will turn back and see no one in the party. There will no one left except for her.”
Shah while addressing a virtual rally, added, “I have told Rajib Banerjee that the BJP will form a majority government in Bengal. I promise to eradicate Trinamool Congress government in Bengal. There is no agenda in the Mamata Banerjee-led government but to make her nephew the next chief minister.”
This statement sent the alarm bells ringing in the TMC camp which is already trying to douse the fires created by Abhishek Banerjee’s growing significance within the party thanks to him being related to Mamata.
TMC then deployed senior leader and MP Saugata Roy to parrot that Mamata Banerjee will be the CM for the third time. Roy reiterated that the party hasn’t held discussions over making Abhishek the CM in the future.
In his virtual rally, Shah also remarked that, “Modi government is committed to public welfare and Mamata Didi’s government is busy in ‘nephew welfare’. The welfare of the people of Bengal is not an agenda for them.”
There seems to be a well thought out strategy from the BJP to rake in Abhishek Banerjee which will only prompt the few remaining TMC leaders who are not dependent on Didi’s popularity to win elections, to jump ship to the BJP.
Recently, former TMC heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari labelled the TMC as a Private Limited company – a clear potshot at Mamata and her nephew.
The BJP has identified Abhishek Banerjee as the weak link in TMC which is prompting the party leaders to jump ship. It comes as no surprise that all the leaders from Suvendhu Adhikari to Rajiv Banerjee have targeted Abhishek Banerjee as they left TMC. Amit Shah has only worsened the sense of feeling in the TMC camp that party leader will be able to grow under Abhishek Banerjee with the latter the sole heir of Mamata’s legacy.