If everything goes as planned, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bengal again on 20 August to attend a special programme in Dum Dum. The Assembly elections in the state are due next year.
Despite the BJP’s vigorous efforts during the 2021 Assembly elections, the party was unable to form the government in Bengal.
In a strategic move, the Prime Minister has decided to hold a programme every month targeting the Bengali community in the state.
On 29 May, he addressed a public meeting in Alipurduar. Subsequently, he held another programme in Bengal just before the Trinamool Congress’s Martyrs’ Day on 21 July.
Further, after the appointment of the new BJP state president, Shamik Bhattacharya, the Prime Minister conveyed a political message to party workers and supporters during a gathering in Durgapur on 18 July.
According to sources, Dum Dum has been selected as the venue for the 20 August event. Notably, the current state president contested from the Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency in the last general election.
Sources also indicate that the Prime Minister aims to send a strong message to the people of Bengal — that the BJP is not against the Bengali community.
The party’s central leadership has advised the state unit to avoid a repeat of the “outsider” narrative, which the Trinamul Congress had effectively used against the BJP during the 2021 elections.
The Prime Minister has reportedly instructed the Bengal BJP to focus on the central government’s development initiatives.
While the Trinamul Congress continues to intensify its stance on the ‘SIR’ issue, the BJP plans to counter it by highlighting the ‘Tiranga Yatra’ as a symbol of national pride and unity.