ABP Shikhar Sammelan: Today while speaking at the Sammelan with Manogya Loiwal, TMC leader Saugata Roy spoke talked about ‘Ma, Maati aur Manush’ which is Mamata Banerjee’s slogan, he said that the slogan really resonates with the women of West Bengal. He said that the slogan has always worked in Mamata’s favour and is sure that it will work for her in the years to come. The leader was speaking at the ABP Network’s premier thought-leadership event ‘Shikhar Sammelan’, which is focused on 2021 West Bengal state elections.
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When asked why people of Bengal still feel the need to remind her to be more affectionate, he said that it’s a wrong portrayal and that “she is like an elder sister for the people of Bengal, she is a gaurdian she looks after them as much as possible and that’s why there isn’t any doubt that she was, is and will be people’s favourite leader.”
Talking about the recent violent outbreaks, he said that the crime rate in Bengal is not more than Uttar Pradesh or Gujarat. He said that political clashes are exaggerated by the media. “No one has died because of police firing during Mamata’s term and there hasn’t been any mass killing which was frequent during the Left’s era like in Nandigram.” He reiterated “All deaths are bad, all deaths are sad. But I don’t believe in BJP’s number, as they claim someone’s suicide as a martyr. TMC members have died as well.”
“We are not in agreement with the National Crime Records Bureau, which records crime in India which is why we have stopped sending crime records. But when it comes to general killings, it’s not more than Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra or Bihar while it is saddening when any political worker dies,” Roy added.
Talking about ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan, “people can say Jai Shree Ram where they want, during their rally or in the Ram Mandir but we don’t like it when they say it during Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti celebrations, which is very important event for Bengalis that’s why we get annoyed. There’s a place for everything” He further added that people of Bengal say “Jai Ma Kali” or “Jai Ma Durga” we don’t say “Jai Shree Ram” as in Bengal Ram is seen as a hero in Ramayana, there’s a difference in perception. “So we don’t see Ram the same way he is seen in Uttar Pradesh.” He elaborated, “Ram was a devotee of Ma Durga, before going to Lanka he prayed to Goddess Durga”
Commenting on the recent “outsiders are trying to impose their culture on the people of Bengal” remark made by TMC member Abhishek Banerjee, Roy said “why is BJP trying to import people to run Bengal, we are against that. How will a Vijayvargiya from Indore know the pain and issues of West Bengal? Why can’t BJP bring out Bengali leaders or leaders living in Bengali?”
When asked about Dinesh Trivedi’s “suffocated” remark, Saugata Roy said “I haven’t seen anyone so selfish, he wasn’t concerned about the people, he had to touch with the people in constituency so he lost the elections. If the MP candidate is not visible or isn’t concerned about the people how will he be voted? So when he come crying to Mamata, she nominated him as the Rajya Sabha candidate, didn’t he feel suffocated then?”
This edition of #ABPShikharSammelan will feature top politicians from major political parties battling it out to make a mark in the elections that is also widely seen as a high-pitched battle between TMC chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the BJP.
