Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently lashed out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at three different rallies. “How could a person close to Mamata Banerjee call dalits beggars?” he thundered in Krishnanagar.
He was referring to Trinamool leader Sujata Mondal, who had allegedly made the remark in an interview. “Bengal’s chief minister remains a mute spectator because she approves this,” Modi said in two other rallies in North 24 Parganas and Siliguri.
Several other BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, also slammed Mamata on the issue. Mondal, the Trinamool candidate from the reserved seat of Arambagh, was stopped from entering a village in the constituency on the day of the election, April 6.
For the first time in recent history, the BJP has made caste an election issue in Bengal. Scheduled castes make up around 24 per cent of the state's population; scheduled tribes account for about 6 per cent. According to the BJP's internal estimates, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party had won about 80 per cent of the tribal and 60 per cent of the scheduled caste vote in the state.
This had hurt Mamata, who then began to woo the Matuas, one of the more populous lower castes, and the Kurmis, the biggest tribal community in the
Junglemahal region. The BJP had done well in Junglemahal in 2019 largely thanks to the Kurmis; the group is part of the other backward classes list, but has been demanding scheduled tribe status for a while.
Denne historien er fra May 02, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 02, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Themes Of Choice
As Savvy Investors Seek New Avenues, Thematic Mutual Funds Are Gaining Popularity
A golden girl
One of India's most formidable beauties passed away earlier this month. The odd thing is she would absolutely hate this obituary; she hated being written about and avoided publicity for all of her nine decades. Indira Aswani was 93 when she died. But anyone who encountered her, even briefly, was in such awe of her grace and poise, and one could not but remember her forever.
The interest in wine is growing delightfully in India
The renowned British wine writer and television presenter Jancis Robinson, 74, recently came to Delhi and Mumbai to reacquaint herself with India's wine industry. This was the Robinson's fourth visit to India; the last one was seven years ago. On this trip, Robinson and her husband, restaurateur Nicholas Lander, were hosted by the Taj Hotels and Sonal Holland, India's only Master of Wine.
United in the states
Indian-Americans coming together under the Democratic umbrella could get Harris over the line in key battlegrounds
COVER DRIVE
Usage-driven motor insurance policies offer several benefits
GDP as the only measure of progress is illogical
Dasho Karma Ura, one of the world's leading happiness experts, has guided Bhutan's unique gross national happiness (GNH) project. He uses empirical data to show that money cannot buy happiness in all circumstances, rather it is family and health that have the strongest positive effect on happiness. Excerpts from an interview:
India is not a controlling big brother
Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay considers India a benevolent elder sibling as the \"big brotherly attitude\" is happily missing from bilateral ties. He thinks the relationship shared by the two countries has become a model of friendship not just for the region, but for the entire world. \"India's attitude is definitely not of a big brother who is controlling and does not allow the little brother to blossom and grow,\" says Tobgay in an exclusive interview with THE WEEK.
Comrade with no foes
Lal Salaam, Comrade Yechury-you were quite a guy!
Pinning down saffron
In her first political bout, Vinesh Phogat rides on the anti-BJP sentiment across Haryana
MAKE IN MANIPUR
Home-made rockets and weapons from across the border are escalating the conflict