KOLKATA: Amid opposition claims that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is focusing on Muslim votes for next year’s Assembly elections, she visited Furfura Sharif on Monday to attend an Iftar, claiming it was a regular visit and that no politics was involved.
The visit comes days after her meeting with Indian Secular Front chairperson Nawsad Siddique, which sparked speculation. Banerjee shared Iftar with all the members at the meeting and claimed that her administration would look after people’s demands for setting up a polytechnic college and a bus station.
“The discussions during the visit concerned developmental initiatives at Furfura Sharif, government funds earmarked for them, and ironing out any issues. The shrine is always important, and elections are barely a year away,” the source added. However, Banerjee said, “Some concerns have been conveyed to us about the development and utilisation of funds and delays in the completion of the university being set up there.”
Blaming opposition parties for claiming that she went to Furfura Sharif to woo Muslim voters, she said, “When I went to Kashi Vishwanath, nobody questioned me. But when I went to the Furfura Sharif, the opposition parties tried to portray me negatively. I can go anywhere and I have full faith in people. I also take part in the Iftar party and also fast during pujas. I respect the Christian religion, too.”
Muslims and other minorities form about a third of the West Bengal electorate. They have largely been siding with Banerjee since the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. With the rise of the BJP as the principal opposition in the state, minority support goes a long way in helping her ward off the saffron threat, as minorities determine the electoral outcome in at least 120 of the state’s 294 Assembly seats.