Chakdaha, July 19: At a time when Mamata Banerjee on repeated occasions conveying stern message to her party workers asking them to desist from infighting, instead work unitedly respecting the old workers, a section of party workers in Nadia, nevertheless, apparently feel isolated and put up many banners for the July 21’s martyr day’s rally that caused a major embarrassment to the leadership.
The party workers have put these banners with an appeal to attend the meeting on July 21 in Calcutta introducing themselves as party workers of ‘bad times’.
These printed flex banners were published and put for public view, courtesy – “Trinamul Congress Karmibrinda (Durdiner)” raise eyebrow even among party supporters and sympathizers. In some places, the word “Durdiner” was found with replaced ‘Duhssamayer’, both of which mean ‘bad times’.
Party insiders claimed that a section of workers associated with the party since long, who are now disgruntled, are behind such banners. “These workers feel that party leadership is in a complacency and has accommodated a large number of harmful elements who are opportunists in nature and damaging party reputation every day. They might be right, but the way they tried to mean it would convey a wrong message to the people”, a party leader said.
Trinamul’s Chakdah MLA Ratna Ghosh did not hide her anger about such banners. “The party leadership had prescribed a format for July 21 meeting’s banners. But, those who violated the prescribed format and put up such banners to draw public attention are not definitely party sympathisers. I heard that this section verbally abusing senior leaders projecting themselves as “holy cow”. I suspect that they are maligning the party making a nexus with BJP, which I would definitely bring to the notice of top leadership”.
In places like Chakdah, Palpara, the disgruntled party workers who are behind such banners, come up to sp eak categorically on their ‘thought’ behind “Durdin”.
Working president of Chakdah town Trinamul Youth Congress Soumitra Bhattacharya said, “We have used the word ‘durdiner’ only to vent the grievance of many people who are party sympathisers since long. They are shocked to see that persons who joined party after it came to power and now siphoning money exploiting their position. Mamata Banerjee herself is concerned about it and she even in many recent meeting cautioned such persons. But, in reality these persons actually have gripped the party. These people are associate of party’s happy times only. But, many people are there like us who unconditionally love and respect Mamata Banerjee, who were with her since her early days of struggle”.
“Today party has been passing through a happy phase. But, people question us about the new faces in the party who are otherwise know for dubious identity. They were not in the bad times, but enjoying the fruits of Mamata Banerjee’s bad days”, Bhattacharya added.
In 2016, Bhattacharya, who leads a club in Chakdah, made a life-size fibre glass model of Mamata Banerjee with 12 hands and worshipped as “Goddess Durga” in Durga puja.
Party activists who put nearly similar banners in other places like Palpara, Haringhata, Ranaghat and Kalyani echoed Bhattacharya.
“If Mamata Banerjee is symbol of honest and integrity, most of the new faces who rule her party now do not qualify to leaders. She has too realised it now. But she needs to be more stern on it and make spaces for tested workers who are with her since long”, a worker in Kalyani said.
Trinamul’s Nadia president Gourishankar Dutta, “There is nothing like old and new workers as well as ‘sudin‘ and ‘durdin’. Party activists have different perceptions, but they are all devoted fan of Mamata Banerjee. I will, however, talk why some workers put such banners’.