With volleys of corruption charges exploding one after the other in the ruling Trinamool Congress’ face sending a number of MLAs, Ministers and functionaries to jail and causing its political TRP to cave in as never before the general secretary of the party Abhishek Banerjee has decided embark on a Jan Sanyog Yatra (public relations march) and for the first time in the outfit’s history to reach out to the people ahead of the coming panchayat elections.
During the two-month-long Yatra commencing April 25 would see Banerjee touching all the districts and blocks from Coochbehar in North Bengal to Ganga Sagar Islands in the southern part of the State meeting the people and seeking their opinion on their choice of candidates.
During the Yatra Banerjee, who is also the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, will not return to Kolkata and stay in the villages, exchange and absorb the people’s views, the TMC leader said.
“There will be no intermediary … I will hold small block level meetings before holding discussions with the common man every day and seek their opinions … there will be secret ballot where they will provide the names of the candidates they prefer,” Banerjee said adding “this type of democratization process is being undertaken for the first time in the history of Indian politics.” The junior Banerjee’s statement comes a day after the Chief Minister announced the party’s plans for a public relations rally.
“The panchayat raj means people’s government where the people are the biggest stakeholders and so their opinion should be of prime importance … I will visit about 7,000 booths and try to understand their issues, their grudges and grievances and then take their opinions about the possible candidates … there will be no centrally imposed candidate … there will be no closed-door selection of the candidates this time round,” Banerjee, whose party is facing massive alienation at the village level, said.