To strategise for the Lok Sabha elections, the state committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or the CPI (M), held a meeting this week, chaired by senior party leader Binoy Kongar. Apart from ways to counter the Trinamool Congress (TMC), challenges posed by the rise of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state were also discussed.
Left Front Chairman Biman Bose, too, publicly acknowledged the new challenger: "The BJP's rise in the state is a reality and a cause of concern. We need to combat this."
This is indicative of the changing political environment in West Bengal, as well as why TMC chief Mamata Banerjee is telling her cadre to take the BJP seriously.
Expectedly, BJP state president Rahul Sinha credits the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for this. "People voted out the Left, expecting a positive change. But the TMC has let everyone down. People here, too, see the BJP as an alternative, especially since Narendra Modi has come to the forefront," he said.
The Left, however, blames the TMC's "fundamentalist policy" for the BJP's rise. It argues that West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee has gone overboard in appeasing the minority community. Often, Banerjee is heard saying, "I have retained the Minority Affairs Department because it is important for our government and requires continuous monitoring."
The sanction of 10,000 madrasas in West Bengal, the establishment of a branch of the Aligarh Muslim University in the state, three Haj towers, the announcement of second-language status to Urdu in areas where the Urdu-speaking population exceeds 10 per cent and huge loans and subsidy to Muslim youth - a lot has been offered by the state government to the minority community. The most controversial move was the state's decision to announce Rs 2,500 a month as honorarium for Imams. The BJP, at once, took up the issue and moved court. The decision was stayed by the Calcutta High Court.
"By all these moves, the TMC is actually making Bengal's polity communal. The BJP is taking advantage of this," said CPI (M) central committee member Mohammad Salim.
During the Jangipur by-polls in October last year, the issue of honorarium for Imams was one of the major election planks for BJP candidate Sudhangshu Biswas. Securing 85,867 votes, Biswas raised the party's vote share in the constituency to about 10 per cent from three per cent earlier. In fact, it was the Jangipur by-poll that indicated the rise of the BJP in the state for the first time.
Now, the BJP is trying to capitalise on this for the current Lok Sabha elections.
It has secured the support of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), which has a strong base in the northern parts of the state. Experts say with the GJM's help, the BJP might not just win in Darjeeling, but also could fare well in the neighbouring Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri constituencies.
Also, the party has put in a lot of effort to select the right candidates. In Bongaon, K D Biswas, secretary of the Matua Mahasangh (which represents a large number of backward communities), has been given a ticket. These backward communities account for about 60 per cent of the electorate in that region.
Magician P C Sorcar, singer Babul Supriyo and music composer and singer Bappi Lahiri will contest for the party in Barasat, Asansol and Sreerampore, respectively.
In a calculative move, the BJP isn't openly supporting the demand for statehood for Gorkhaland, unlike in 2009, as it doesn't want to spoil its chances in the rest of the state. In fact, the party's original manifesto didn't mention Gorkhaland at all. Subsequently, in an addendum, the party said it would "sympathetically examine" the demand of Gorkhas. "We cannot afford to upset voters of the entire state by openly endorsing the Gorkhaland demand for the sake of the voters of Darjeeling. The party sincerely believes it has huge potential in the state. Irrespective of the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls, we are here to stay. As far as Bengal is concerned, we are thinking of the long term," said a senior party leader.
Though the BJP might not win too many seats in the state this time, clearly, it has the potential to upset calculations.
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