On CAA, Mamata Banerjee, Dilip Ghosh take cues from PM Modi’s chai pe charcha
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and BJP’s Bengal unit president on Monday sought to make tea a medium to push their views on the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s favourite Chai Pe Charcha (discussion over tea) programme on Monday struck a chord with Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh, albeit for opposing reasons, on the issue of the citizenship law.
In Malda town as part of his week-long tour of north Bengal districts, Ghosh had tea with local residents at a tea stall on Monday morning and said people in the region have accepted the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and it would reflect in elections results.
“The presence of people in our rallies (on CAA) is overwhelming. I am confident that BJP will win most of the seats in the coming civic body elections and we will win 50 out of 54 assembly seats in north Bengal next year,” said Ghosh as he sipped tea. He had been holding Chai Pe Charcha ever morning during the tour. Though the schedule has not been announced, the civic polls are likely to be held in April.
A few hours later, while addressing the Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) student wing members and college students at Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium, Mamata Banerjee focused on discussion at tea stalls, something she had not done in any recent speech.
“When you are at tea stalls discuss CAA and tell people that it will divide them. Start discussions when you at a restaurant. Convince people that we not bonded labourers but people of India. One colour cannot rule India. It is a country of many colours,” said Banerjee, one of the most trenchant critics of the CAA.
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