Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has declared May 2 as Maa-Maati Manush Diwas (Mother-Earth, Humanity Day). On May 2 last year her Government had returned to power for the third time defeating the BJP.
To mark this day, the ruling Trinamool Congress has announced a two-week long programme throughout the State.
The BJP on the other hand launched a counter-programme — with a mega rally on Monday — to denounce the post-electoral violence in Bengal and the deteriorating law and order situation in the State. The saffron party will organize state-wide programmes that will continue for a week and will end up with rallies to be attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Expressing her gratitude to the people on the Twitter the Chief Minister on Monday wrote “I am ever grateful to our Ma- Mati-Manush for having shown to the high and mighty, last year on this day, the indomitable courage of Bengal,” adding the masses had shown through the elections that there was no bigger power than the people in a democracy.
“I dedicate this day to Ma-Mati-Manush and urge that this day be henceforth called Ma -Mati- Manush Divas. Jai Hind, Jai Bangla, the Chief Minister wrote. The TMC is likely to organize a mega programme to be addressed by the Chief Minister at the historic Netaji Indoor Stadium, party sources said.
“This is a reminder to all the communal forces that had invaded our State last year with big ‘commanders’ from all over the country and tons of ill-gotten money that Bengal will never surrender to communalism … people have given the communal leaders a good lesson … so that they will never dare to look at this State again,” said TMC leader Firhad Hakim
Meanwhile, In an apparent bid to spruce up its sagging organization hit by frequent defections to the TMC and relentless bickering within the outfit the BJP held a mega rally in Kolkata denouncing the post poll violence and deteriorating law and order situation.
“We launched a mega protest rally against the terror that has been unleashed by the ruling TMC. Several — about 50 — of our party workers have been killed. The rally was organised to condemn the blood sucking TMC-government,” said BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar.
Former State party president Dilip Ghosh said “what Mamata Banerjee is doing in the name of victory anniversary is shameful because in the past one year the law and order of the state has deteriorated to the lowest level … it seems that she is celebrating murders, corruption inwhich her own MLAs are arrested, gang-rapes, arson.”
The BJP’s protest rallies will culminate in meetings to be addressedby Amit Shah who is likely to visit Bengal on May 4.