Trinamool Congress MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday underscored the “outsider” narrative to tear into the BJP at two rallies in North and South Dinajpur while stressing the slew of social welfare schemes of the Mamata Banerjee government that is seeking a fourth consecutive term.

In the 2021 Assembly polls, Trinamool and the BJP won three seats each in South Dinajpur. In North Dinajpur, Trinamool had won seven seats while the BJP bagged the remaining two.

“The BJP is trying to include names of people from other states as voters in Bengal. Also, if it is voted to power, BJP leaders sitting in Delhi will dictate all activities of Bengal,” said Abhishek at the first meeting in Balurghat, South Dinajpur.

“Over the past few years, we have seen how the BJP MPs elected from this state have remained mute despite the Centre freezing financial grants for Bengal. They do not have the authority to make a single move without approval from Delhi leaders. Outsiders will rule Bengal then,” he said.

During the past few months, Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee, the party's second-in-command Abhishek and other party leaders have played the Bengali asmita (selfhood/pride) card to exert pressure on the BJP, particularly by referring to the harassment and torture faced by migrant workers from Bengal in the BJP-ruled states.

Trinamool leaders have also tried to drive home the BJP bohiragawto (outsider) narrative.

In his speeches at Balurghat and later North Dinajpur's Karandighi, Abhishek elaborated on the state's welfare schemes, especially Lakshmir Bhandar, and promised to meet some local demands as well.

In both, he announced that if Trinamool returns to power, four cold storages — two in each district — would be set up for farmers.

“I am here with my report card on what the state has done, and I challenge (BJP leader) Sukanta Majumdar to present their report card,” he said.

Balurghat is the home turf of Majumdar, the two-time BJP MP and the Union minister of state for education.

At Karandighi, Abhishek slammed Biraj Biswas, the BJP candidate. “The BJP candidate contesting here is associated with drug and liquor smuggling. You should give a second thought before voting for him,” he said.

BJP retort

BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar, who was in Siliguri on Tuesday, dubbed Abhishek Banerjee as boroloker bokhe jawa chhele (spoilt son of a rich parent)”.

“He (Abhishek) has landed in politics by a parachute and is behaving like the spoilt son of a rich parent. Any booth-level leader of our party is more eligible than him,” Majumdar said at a news meet.

The BJP MP alleged that the Mamata government had allotted only a minuscule portion of the state’s budget for north Bengal.

He said the state government allocated ₹861 crore for north Bengal earlier, which increased slightly to ₹900 crore in the current fiscal (a vote on account because of the summer Assembly polls).

“If the state's total budget is ₹100, north Bengal's share should be ₹18, as at least 18 per cent of Bengal’s population lives here. But budgetary allocations of the Trinamool government show the allocation is only around 23 paisa,” said Majumdar.

Biraj Biswas, the BJP's Karandighi candidate, said Abhishek should find out how many liquor shops Trinamool candidate Gautam Paul owns.