Farmers Movement Archive

Adhir-Abbas strain shows in Brigade rally

Kolkata: Furfura Sharif cleric and Indian Secular Front (ISF) patron Abbas Siddiqui pledged his support for Left candidates across the state from a rally at the Brigade Parade Grounds on Sunday, but stopped short of doing the same for the Congress, sending out a clear message that the ISF would strictly act on a quid pro quo basis. “We want bhagidari (our share) in electoral politics. I would like to thank the Left Front for sacrificing their own seats to give us 30 seats. We will support the Left across the state and ensure they win, along with our own candidates, defeating both the BJP and its B-team, Trinamool, in Bengal,” Siddiqui said at the rally, in a bid to put pressure on the Congress over seat-sharing with the ISF before talks begin on Monday. The ISF patron, however, didn’t lose sight of his prime targets: BJP and Trinamool. “Modi and Didi are the same. They might put up a mock fi-ght, but they are friends. They are using religion to divert attention from the core issues. The BJP could spread their wings in Bengal only because of the TMC. If there is a hung assembly, TMC will join ha-nds with the BJP to form a government,” Siddiqui alleged. Siddiqui stepped on the dais amid rapturous applause by his supporters when Adhir Chowdhury, Congress leader in Lok Sabha, was speaking. CPM leader Md Selim was taking Siddiqui near the lectern near Chowdhury, when the Congress leader stepped back. It was only after Left Front chairperson Biman Bose waved at him and asked him to carry on that Chowdhury resumed his speech. Chowdhury called the grand alliance of the Left-Congress and other secular forces against Trinamool and BJP the “notun paribartaner ramdhanu (rainbow for a new change)”. Chowdhury held that the Bengal assembly polls were not going to be a two-cornered fight. “Those who had thrown up the Modi-Mamata binary in Bengal should rethink after Sunday’s rally. I am excited and satisfied (with the enthusiasm of supporters). In future, there will not be any BJP or TMC; only the grand alliance will remain,” Chowdhury said. The Brigade rally turned out to be a confluence of several political colours, a break from the usual monochromatic gatherings. Red flags fluttered with white-and-green of the ISF, along with specks of the Congress tricolour, the first time ever in a Brigade gathering. The mood on the grounds was also different this time, with “Bhaijan, bhaijan” slogans addressed to Siddiqui, along with Left political slogans. “Tumpa eshe gechhi’ posters as an allusion to the viral ‘Tumpa Brigade chol’ parody may have irritated some, but they also showcased the enthusiasm among the young supporters, something that had been missing in Left gatherings for quite some time. A section of Left and Congress supporters kept their fingers crossed over how the “poll gamble” with the ISF would play out among the other communities, when Bengal has been witnessing polarization among voters. The ISF may give a boost to the Left vote-share in south Bengal by breaking the Trinamool monopoly over assembly seats in South 24 Parganas, parts of North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah and East Midnapore. But Left leaders are not very sure what impact it would have in urban constituencies with refugee presence and also in the 45 assembly seats along the India-Bangladesh border. “The ISF is a party of Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis. Former Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren is the party president. It will field candidates from all oppressed communities,” Siddiqui told TOI. Left leaders at tried to take the poll agenda out of religion or language polarization and turn the focus on lives and livelihood issues. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury pointed to the continuing farmers’ protests at the Singhu border. “If farmers, who provide us with food, can put up such a gallant fight, we too can do it here,” Yechury said. CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra focused harped on “unity of alliance partners” and “unity of working people” above all. “The alliance will work towards ensuring filling up of all vacant posts. Investment will be increased in agriculture to create more job opportunities. Large industries will be set up with the consent of the people,” Mishra said.

The Times of India

2021-03-01

Kolkata