KOLKATA: Union Home minister Amit Shah has told BJP functionaries in Bengal that he would visit the state at least once a month between April and October, and spend a week every month after the festive season to achieve the goal of overthrowing the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool government in 2021.
Senior BJP leaders said no national leader of the party has spent such a long span of time with the Bengal unit and the effort was enough to energise the party. Shah left Kolkata in the early hours on Monday.
According to BJP sources, after offering prayer at Kalighat temple, Shah returned to a city hotel to hold the meetings where BJP chief JP Nadda and general secretary (organisation) B L Santosh were present.
Shah first held meeting with party MPs from Bengal, then with the presidents of 38 organisational districts and observers and MLAs.
The final meeting was with the seniormost leaders in Bengal, including general secretaries, past presidents and central observers.
“He (Shah) said that from April he would start coming to Bengal at least once a month and from October, the monthly visit would last for at least seven days,’’ said a senior BJP leader.
“He gave a patient hearing to all of us. He preferred to talk less and listen more. He said that he was aware of Bengal’s both political and law and order situation.’’ The leader said Shah assured the party’s Bengal unit that he was with them shoulder to shoulder.
“We highlighted our activities in details to explain how rigorously we worked to reach out the common people on the CAA. He made it clear that we would have to intensify pro-CAA campaign in pockets dominated by refugees and work hard in the civic election,’’ said the leader who attended one of the meetings.
Meanwhile, three people were arrested in the wee hours of Monday for allegedly shouting the ‘Desh ki gaddaron ko, goli maro’ slogan on way to Shah’s rally on Sunday.