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Abhishek Banerjee
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Calcutta, Feb. 3: Mamata Banerjee will meet students and youths owing allegiance to the Trinamul Congress tomorrow to set guidelines on utilising them alongside the old guard to campaign for the panchayat elections.
The day-long closed-door session at Netaji Indoor Stadium will be attended by members of the Trinamul Chhatra Parishad, Trinamul Yuva and the Trinamul Youth Congress.
“The chief minister will set guidelines on engaging students and youths side by side with senior Trinamul leaders for the party’s campaign for the rural polls,” said Abhishek Banerjee, the national president of the fledging Trinamul Yuva and Mamata’s nephew.
“Our young brigade will fan out to the districts from next week to highlight the government’s achievements to people living in panchayat areas,” Abhishek said. “Our job will also be to counter the false propaganda by the Opposition Left and the Congress against the government and targeting my pishi (aunt).”
Asked why youths would be used for campaigning, Abhishek said: “The charming faces of students and youths will help us get the rural people to vote for our party. Moreover, they can easily reach out to people by organising padayatras in remote areas.”
A Trinamul vice-president said Mamata had told party leaders informally that veterans would be at the helm of campaign committees.
“But the field work, particularly regular interactions with the rural electorate, will be done by the young brigade,” he said.
According to him, the sons, daughters and other young family members of Trinamul functionaries will join the youth brigade.
The CPM said mere deployment of students and youths for campaigning would not help Trinamul garner votes because “the people have already tested them”.
“Trinamul is a destructive force and people have learnt it the hard way after having tested them for over 18 months. So the rural people won’t be misguided even if Mamata deploys her youth brigade for campaigning,” CPM state secretariat member Rabin Deb said this evening.
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