We Were By Your Side In Your Sorrow, Time For You To Stand By Us: Abhishek Banerjee At Dhupguri

Jalpaiguri: The SC (reserved) Dhupguri Assembly seat under the Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha constituency of North Bengal has been a prickly one for the Trinamool Congress (TMC). While it did win the byelection for the seat in 2023 by a narrow, 4,000-vote margin, it had lost Dhupguri to the BJP by a similar margin in the 2021 Assembly elections, and trailed in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

All-India General Secretary of the TMC, Abhishek Banerjee, would have had that in mind when he presented the ruling party's development report card at an election rally on the 'Phanir Maath' ground in Thakurpat area of the municipalty, on Thursday afternoon.

Present on dais was 2018 Asian Games heptathlon gold medallist Swapna Barman, a Rajbangshi who has been fielded as the TMC candidate for the nearby Rajganj Assembly seat, also under Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha constituency.

'We Keep Our Promises'

Pointing at the thousands who had gathered at the rally, a confident Abhishek said those who had turned up despite the scorching heat did not come "merely to listen to political speeches"; but had arrived "with a firm decision already made".

"I visited this very ground in September 2023. I made certain promises, and you, in turn, did not send me back empty-handed. We, too, have fulfilled our pledges; for two-and-a-half years, we have had our own MLA representing Dhupguri," he said.

Highlighting the list of achievements during TMC's tenure in Dhupguri — ranging from the creation of Dhupguri as a subdivision, to the upgrade of the rural hospital into a sub-divisional hospital — the TMC No 2 asserted that every single promise had been kept. Citing the establishment of a college, a fire station, road construction projects, and various other schemes, he said, "We make promises, and we keep them."

He then issued a call to the public: "This time, we must ensure Nirmal Roy [the sitting TMC MLA] wins by a margin of 20,000 votes." He also pledged that municipal elections for Dhupguri would be held within six months of the TMC returning to power in the state.

The TMC leader also presented key statistics: In Dhupguri, over 85,000 beneficiaries are enrolled in the state government's "Lakshmir Bhandar" scheme, over a lakh avail benefits of the "Swasthya Sathi" scheme, and thousands of families have received assistance through the "Banglar Awaas Yojana".

'Starve Bengal Into Submission'

He then launched a direct attack on the BJP, asking, "What has the Centre actually given to Dhupguri?" After a brief pause, he answered the question himself, by placing the Centre in the dock over demonetisation, withholding of funds for the 100-day work scheme, rising inflation, and other issues.

Issuing a direct challenge to the local BJP MP, Jayanta Roy, he asserted, "The BJP's agenda is to humiliate and deprive Bengal in every sphere. They have even withheld Central allocations in a deliberate attempt to starve Bengal into submission. I challenge the MP: If he can produce a shred of evidence proving that he has written to the Centre requesting the release of Bengal's withheld dues, I will quit politics immediately."

Reminding the public that it was the TMC alone that had stood by them during cyclones and floods, Abhishek said: "In your moments of sorrow and hardship, you found no one but TMC by your side. Now it's time for you to stand by the people who have stood by you."

Characterising the BJP as a party of feudal overlords and "outsiders", Abhishek said, "Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister is now dictating that we must stop eating fish. Are they to decide what we eat, what we wear? They are sending notices from the Foreigners Tribunals in Assam to our Rajbangshi brethren, branding them as 'outsiders'. That means this election is not merely about securing victory, but about ensuring that the BJP forfeits security deposits."

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