An assortment of fries from potato to bitter-goud and two of best Bengali delicacies like Posto (poppy seeds) and Sukto a mixed vegetable prepared with milk and water greeted BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday at an humble party worker’s house in North Kolkata’s Cossipore slum.
A jubilant Manas Sen who played host to the BJP president said, “I still cannot believe and pinched myself several times when he finally descended at my place and chose to eat whatever we poor people could arrange for him” even as he tried to come out of a trance.
A petty worker at a departmental store the saffron man said Shah’s visit had not only pumped him up but also the people of the area who would now start to believe that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah ji are truly men of the masses.”
On what item did he like most Sen said “he looked to be a simple person and ate every item with relish.
He asked about our problems not as a formality but with genuine concern. That is what appealed to the people of the area who talked about his ways even after he left.”
Conch shells blew and rose petals were showered on the leader even as local women performed “aarti” the typical Bengali way when Shah entered narrow by lane of the lock gate area once known for naxal activities.
Among other things he was treated to were: cauliflower curry, rice moong daal, papad, salad, sweet and papad served on a earthen plate covered with banana leaf. Among others who had lunch at Sen’s house were BJP leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya, Rahul Sinha, State president Dilip Ghosh and Suresh Pujari.
The BJP president who concluded his three-day tour of the State on Wednesday earlier had laid out a formula for the State leadership that included contacting the 40 lakh people who had expressed their wishes to join the party through missed calls after BJP came to power in the Centre in 2014.
He also reportedly the local leaders not to complain (only) about being attacked by the Trinamool Congress goons but wanted to know in how many cases they had managed to pay them back.
If the BJP could come to power in Uttar Pradesh by handling the goons of the Samajwadi Party then there was no reason of their repeating the same feat in Bengal, he said.