An elated City of Joy decked up for ‘Modi Babu’s’ coronation on Monday, even as enthusiasts put up towering cut-outs of the Prime Minsiter-designate, decorated sidewalks with flowers and erected make-shift stalls from where they would distribute sweets to the aam aadmi “to congratulate them at their dream coming true.”
One could see the entire area around the Bengal BJP headquarters in North Kolkata painted in saffron “as a mark of heralding a new future for Bengal which is going to witness yet another poribortan in a few years’ time,” partymen said.
Cut-outs were raised at Burrabazar, Bidhannagar, Beniapukur, Jorasanko in North Kolkata, apart from extensive parts of South Kolkata where the BJP candidate Tahtagato Roy had taken a conspicuous lead from the Trinamool Congress candiate at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s home Assembly segment of Bhawanipore.
Jorasanko was another Assembly segment where BJP candidate Rahul Sinha had broken the set rules, taking a lead of about 20,000 votes over Sudip Bandopadhyay.
Sidewalks were decorated with flowers and saffron papers in many places, apart from giant television screens being put up in order to telecast the epoch-making event. “There are many people who would not be at home to witness the event. We want them to see the programme even when in transit,” said a State BJP leader, adding laddus and local delicacy sandesh would be distributed from various places to Modi admirers free of cost.
“We are enjoying it. And why not! What have the other parties given to us. let us try this gentleman also. If he is promising something, then let him try to deliver. There is no need to get panicky,” said Kishore Mukherjee, a lecturer.Malati Saha, a house wife, said, “He looks like a man with resolve. We want him to control prices and end this confusion on cooking gas. This Government must ensure that the common man does not get a kick in his belly.”
An artisan at Jorasanko who had joined hands with the BJP workers in decorating Kolkata said, “This is the time for the people of Bengal to herald good days. They are happy. They want to be a party of the celebrations along with the whole country so we took a small step to honour their feelings by distributing sweets to them.”
Meanwhile, BJP State president Rahul Sibnha welcomed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s “belated wisdom of at least maintaining the courtesy of sending a couple of her colleagues at the swearing-in ceremony”, adding “it would have been far more decorous if Mamata herself had gone to the ceremony because in any case she will have to go to the Prime Minister for various reasons.”