TMC to launch massive public outreach drive from May 5

Kolkata: The ruling Trinamool Congress is all set to launch a massive public outreach program over the next few months starting from May 5 which commemorates the day when party chief Mamata Banerjee took oath as the chief minister last year.

This comes at a time when the image of the state government has taken a hit and the TMC has come under fire over a series of incidents including rape, massacre and corruption. The panchayat elections are likely to be held next year.

“The TMC supremo has directed all leaders, starting from a MP and a MLA to a block president and a youth wing leader to hit the streets, visit villages and blocks to reach out to the people. This will be done in phases,” said a TMC MP.

The first phase will be held from May 5 to July 21. Last year on May 5, Banerjee had taken oath as the chief minister for the third consecutive time after the TMC returned to power with a thumping victory.

The second phase of the public outreach program will start right after the TMC’s July 21 mega rally and continue till October when the festival season starts.

July 21 commemorates an incident that took place on July 21, 1993, wherein 13 Congress workers were shot by the West Bengal police during a protest rally organised by the Youth Congress under Mamata Banerjee. The third phase will start around November when the festive season ends.

The party leadership has come up with a list of do’s and don’ts for the party leaders who will be engaging with the people during the drive.

“During the outreach program, if any leader is planning to have lunch in some villager’s or TMC worker’s house he shouldn’t just drop in. Instead he must buy some of the cooking ingredients and take it along. He should also cook. He should try to create a family. The idea is to develop multiple such TMC families,” said a TMC leader.

Ahead the state assembly elections in 2021 the TMC took a dig at BJP’s central leaders for having lunch with villagers alleging that the lunch had come from top rated hotels.

“Party leaders have also been asked to explore all options so that expenses could be cut down. MPs and MLAs may use their own cars, stay in circuit houses and government lodges and use local transport like pillion riding on a villager’s two-wheeler,” said a party leader.

TMC leaders have been asked to ensure that villagers get access to government schemes and projects. In 2020, the government started organising outreach camps to take welfare schemes of the government to the people’s doorsteps.

“We will hold exhibitions and poster campaigns on various social welfare schemes launched by state government over the past few years,” said a TMC legislator.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, has already been holding programs everyday over the past one week, to raise the issue of political violence against its cadre in the state.

In the fiercely contested 2021 election, the BJP improved its vote share as well as its overall tally in the assembly.

Though the TMC retained power, winning 215 of the 294 seats, the BJP won 77 seats, up from the previous election’s three, and its vote share went up from 10.16% in 2015 to 37.49%.