HOWRAH: Amid the TMC's "insider versus outsider" campaign, party MLA Baishali Dalmiya on Thursday expressed reservations over "branding" of Union ministers coming to Bengal, even as sources said posters calling her an outsider have also been put up in her constituency.
Dalmiya, a first-term MLA from Bally assembly seat in Bengal's Howrah district, is miffed over the posters that have come up at several places in her constituency, TMC sources said.
A section of local TMC leaders alleged that she is "not found in the constituency most of the time".
She, however, said that the charge is "baseless and politically motivated".
"I am not an outsider here. I have my home in Bally. Even when Union ministers arrive here, they are called outsiders. So it is quite natural that I will also be termed an outsider. This culture (insider and outsider) should just stop," the legislator, daughter of former Indian cricket administrator and businessman Jagmohan Dalmiya, said.
Reacting to her comment, senior TMC leader and state cabinet minister Arup Roy said no one has termed Union ministers as "outsiders".
Only those BJP leaders who come to Bengal from other states and try to dominate the Bengalis here are referred to as "outsiders".
Meanwhile, amidst rumblings of discontentment within the party, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called a virtual meeting of state and district level leaders of the ruling TMC on Friday to assess its preparedness for the approaching state poll, party sources said.
The state is set to witness stiff fight between TMC and opposition BJP, which has made deep inroads.
While the poll will be crucial for the BJP as it has never been in the government in West Bengal, Banerjee will be seeking to return to power for the third consecutive time.
Friday's meeting assumes immense significance as this will be the first major organisational meeting after the resignation of disgruntled TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari from the state cabinet and various party leaders openly speaking out against the leadership.
It is likely that during the meeting the party will unveil a new outreach campaign to tell the people about the policies and developmental work done by the TMC government in the state in the past ten years since it came to power, the sources said.
"Banerjee will assess organisational strengths and weaknesses. Some changes in the organisation are likely to take place to fix the loose ends. From this meeting she will give directions to the TMC leadership on what has to be done. She will give us a roadmap for the 2021 assembly polls," a senior TMC leader said.
The TMC state committee, core committee, presidents and convenor of all the districts, frontal organisations, MPs, MLAs and other senior leaders have been asked to be present at the meeting, the sources said.
Another senior TMC leader said Banerjee, who is also the party supremo, is likely to virtually launch a new mass campaign and brief the leaders about it.
The campaign, like the others launched by the party, is a brainchild of poll strategist Prashant Kishor and his I-PAC team, the TMC leader said.
The new programme will cover all the 78,908 booths of the state and will be more of taking feedback from the masses and assessing the ground-level situation, said another leader.
Election to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly is due in April-May next year.