Sitting on a charpoy in a courtyard, she encouraged the womenfolk to talk about their problems and asked if the free rations promised to the poor by her government were reaching them. Within hours, social media was flooded with pictures of Mamata in the village.
Not long ago, on November 5, the 350-odd SC residents of Chaturthi village in Bankura had rubbed shoulders with another VVIP. Union home minister Amit Shah not only ate lunch at a Dalit home but also posed for photos with the family. “Had amazing Bengali food at Vivishan (Bibhishan) Hansdaji’s house. No words can express their warmth and hospitality,” read his thank you message on Twitter.
On his two-day visit to Bengal, Shah also broke bread with a Matua family in North 24 Parganas. Matias, a Hindu Dalit community influential in over 50 assembly seats, originally migrated from East Pakistan at the time of Partition. Making up 17.4 per cent of the state’s 100 million population, their votes are much coveted by both the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP. Mamata was quick to dismiss Shah’s visit as a gimmick. “His (Shah’s) lunch, of basmati rice and posto bora (poppy seed fritters), came from a five-star hotel,” she claimed.
This story is from the December 14, 2020 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 14, 2020 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
AAMCHI ENGLISH
You'd think its history of language politics would have nixed such a possibility.
SULTANS OF AASMAN
It's harvest season for India's charter flight operators, as eager candidates hop on to rented choppers and small aircraft with sky-high ambitions.
Music to OUR EARS
After signing a record deal with Warner Music Group, Nora Fatehi sets her sights on being a global pop star
Rebel with a CAUSE
A retrospective of revolutionary artist Gobardhan Ash showcases four decades of his practice at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity
HYBRID FORMS
Mythic Femininities at DAG Delhi brings together a well-chosen crosssection of the late GOGI SAROJ PAL'S large body of work
OUT OF THE SHADOWS
JAI MEHTA makes his directorial debut with Disney+ Hotstar's web series Lootere
MAN OF MANY PARTS
Pratik Gandhi's transition from theatre and Gujarati cinema to mainstream Bollywood is an inspirational tale
THE DUNKI REPUBLIC
Rivers flowing down from the Himalayan massifs are known to have fickle habits-they curl about, meander and, if they stray far enough, get captured by bigger river systems.
A SENSE OF DEPRIVATION
As the Uddhav Sena gets a lion's share in the MVA seat-sharing deal, discontent brews within Congress ranks over the leadership conceding three key seats
Kshatriyas Declare War on Rupala
The minister's appeasement of Dalits has upset the warrior class, who want his candidature withdrawn or they will stir trouble for the BJP in all 26 seats
