KOLKATA: Exactly one month after his eventful visit to West Bengal, BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda is coming to the state once again on Saturday to take part in a farmer outreach programme of his party.
BJP has been targeting the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government for its reluctance to accept the PM-Kisan scheme for the state. During his one-day tour tomorrow, Nadda is expected to launch a fresh barrage of attack against Chief Minister Mamata Banerje on the subject.
Nadda’s programme includes two temple visits – one in the morning and another one in the evening. He will also visit Jagdanandpur village at Katwa in East Bardhaman and address ‘Krishok Surokshya Gram Sabha’ (“security of farmers” meting) at the village ground. According to BJP, the event will mark the beginning of 40,000 such meetings to be held across West Bengal before the assembly elections.
This will be followed by kick-start of door to door rice collection campaign by Nadda. Christened ‘Ek Mutthi Chawal Sangrah’, this campaign of BJP is to assert the party’s and its government’s commitment and conviction towards growth, progress and prosperity of farmers. Nadda will also have lunch at the residence of a farmer at Jagdanandpur.
The source said that BJP’s plan was to reach out to the homes of all 73 lakh villagers across the state before the assembly elections.
In the afternoon Nadda will lead a roadshow which will start from Burdwan Clock Tower and end at Lord Curzon Gate. Later, Nadda will hold a press conference at a resort at Burdwan and then address a meeting of the party’s core committee at the same venue.
Nadda’s convoy was violently attacked by alleged TMC supporters last month (Dec 10) when he visited Diamond Harbour, Lok Sabha constituency of Abhishek Banerjee, TMC youth wing chief and nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
While Nadda, who was in a bulletproof car, escaped unhurt, some of the other BJP leaders including party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargya sustained injuries in the attack. The incident had also triggered off a bitter clash between the centre and the state government.
However, unlike Diamond Harbour, Bardhaman is not a TMC den. Sunil Kumar Mandal, the Bardhaman East constituency MP, has recently left the TMC to join the BJP.