Kotiary is a nondescript village in the Naxalbari block of West Bengal’s Darjeeling district. It is on the Indian side of the Mechi river that borders Nepal. While Naxalbari was well-known for decades for being the epicentre of the Naxal movement, Kotiary came into the limelight because of a high-profile visit in 2017. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was then the BJP president, chose to have lunch with a dalit family here. The house is not far from the statues of the Naxal legends.
Raju Mahali and his wife, Geeta, were elated yet nervous when they heard that Shah wanted to lunch in their hut. It was the first such meal that Shah would have with a dalit family in West Bengal. It would be the place from where he launched Operation Lotus in the state; from a region close to the hearts of many liberal Bengalis.
“He wanted to saffronise Bengal from Naxalbari,” said a BJP vice president in Bengal. “He knew that the Naxalbari movement had turned 50 one year before that.” But Shah was not there to celebrate the movement, rather to inflict damage on the ideology.
During the meal, Shah shared a brief conversation with Geeta and Raju. “Perhaps he wanted to talk more. But he could not because of the massive crowd outside. He promised to speak to us later,” said Geeta. The couple never got to speak to Shah again after that, but it was the start of a new life for them. The day after Shah’s visit, Trinamool Congress Cabinet Minister Gautam Deb arrived at the house of the Mahalis for a cup of tea. Deb then took the couple to a local party office and gave them party flags.
This story is from the May 02, 2021 edition of THE WEEK.
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 May 02, 2021 edition of THE WEEK.
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
BIOPIC AND BEYOND
Randeep Hooda may have proved his acting credentials with biopics, but typecast him at your own peril
Flutter of flimsy wings
Butterfly Research Centre in Bhimtal boasts 3,500 butterfly and moth specimens
SIMILAR STATES, DIFFERENT BATTLES
The Congress seems to have the edge in Telangana while in Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu and Jagan Mohan Reddy are locked in a bitter battle
A RIDE TO REMEMBER
On board Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s bus as he was attacked
Winning 14 of 17 seats is my target
Anumula Revanth Reddy is on a mission to demonstrate a democratic and egalitarian facet of power and leadership.
LOTUS TAKES ROOT
Buoyed by its slowly growing acceptance among the voters in Tamil Nadu, the BJP is mounting its fiercest offensive ever
BLANK CHECK
Several factors favour an increase in the BJP’s vote share in Kerala, but whether the party can win a seat remains uncertain
CONGRESS HAS A HISTORY OF MAKING ADJUSTMENTS WITH COMMUNAL FORCES
In April 2021, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was leading the CPI(M)’s assembly poll campaign to win a second consecutive term, a spirited debate erupted in Kerala over an epithet that party workers had bestowed on him.
POLL PLOT
Congress hopes its five guarantees’ will blunt BJP’s aggressive push
MODI'S GUARANTEES REMAIN IN SPEECHES, MY GUARANTEES ARE FULFILLED
The transformation is unmissable. The old-school mass leader Siddaramaiah has suddenly switched into the new avatar of a master strategist.