Bengal BJP seeks Bengali support through cultural engagement

Aiming to touch the Bengali chord, ahead of the Panchayat elections slated for later this year and the general elections of 2024, the Bengal BJP unit is preparing for another visit by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore on 7 May, which will be followed by visits from senior leaders to the state on every Bengali cultural and religious occasion for the next year.

- DIBYENDU MONDAL

Sources in the Bengal BJP said that the attempt is to connect with the Bengali masses who have otherwise been led to believe that the BJP is a party of the "Hindi-Heartland." 

"We are preparing a plan for the visit of senior BJP leaders in Bengal for the next year, where we will organise cultural functions on all occasions that are important and significant to Bengali culture and tradition. Like you have seen, Amit Shah ji visited Bengal on the occasion of the Bengali New Year and prayed at the Dakshineshwar temple. He will also visit Bengal on the occasion of Rabindranath Tagore's birthday," a senior BJP functionary told The Sunday Guardian.

Amit Shah will be in Bengal for two days, from 7 May to 9 May, where he will be addressing a public rally in the Murshidabad district. Even though this is a minority-dominated district, the BJP is hoping to tap into the anti-incumbency sentiment in the area, against the ruling Trinamool Congress.