Accusations and mudslinging are not new to politics. As polls approach, all skeletons from the closet are often unleashed publically.
The upcoming West Bengal Assembly election is turning out to be one of the most fiesy competitions between ruling parties - one at the centre of Bengal and the other at the Centre of India. As both the TMC and BJP engage in fierce campaigning, one person has particularly been caught in the eye of the storm.
While his political career is, arguably, not influential enough to decide the fate of the election, he is among the most crucial factors for both parties.
Abhishek Banerjee, the poster boy of BJP's 'Bhaipo' jab, is the nephew of Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and if Didi's recent indications are anything to go by, also the heir apparent to the party's throne once the veteran leader retires.
Abhishek entered Bengal's political fray with the TMC in 2011, a year of great significance in the political history of Bengal. The Left Front's regime had just come to an end and Mamata Banerjee led TMC to a landslide, historic victory. As the state enetered a new era, Abhishek was hailed as a youth leader and made the National President of All India Trinamool Youth Congress in the same year.
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In 2014, he tasted his first major political success when he contested the Lok Sabha Elections on TMC ticket from Diamond Harbour and won against CPI(M) candidate Abul Hasnat. He won again in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, this time against a BJP candidate.
Abhishek has been BJP's soft target to attack Mamata and TMC. The saffron party has charged the pishi-bhatija with its favourite accusation: Dynastic politics. Time and again. BJP leaders have taken a dig at Abhishek over the apparent political luxury he has enjoyed, courtesy of Mamata.
While the "Modi government was working towards ‘jan kalyan’, the Mamata Banerjee government was working towards ‘bhatija kalyan’," said Home Minister Amit Shah at a rally recently.
The phrase “bhatija kalyan” (welfare of the nephew) has almost become a mantra for BJP. As the Assembly elections inch closer, a significant portion of speeches by BJP’s top brass—Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and party President J P Nadda— have been devoted to attacking Abhishek.
The conflict between Abhishek and the BJP reached a crescendo when the CBI questioned his wife Rujira in connection with a coal pilferage case. The incident drew sharp retorts from both Abhishek and the chief minister.
Abhishek's rise in the TMC has been a bone of contention for many leaders who endured years of struggle to achieve whatever they have so far. When Mukul Roy left TMC to join BJP, in a decision that acted as a shot in the arm for the saffron party in the state, it was said that Roy was dissatisfied by how Abhishek was sidelining him in the party hierarchy. Recently, TMC turncoat Suvendu Adhikari too voiced his anguish against Abhishek, blaming him for his decision to join BJP.
Also read: Mamata Banerjee accusing BJP out of desperation: Rajnath Singh
"I have neither been dropped on a parachute nor have risen using a lift. I reached this position by taking the stairs, step by step," said Adhikari last October, in a veiled dig at Abhishek. Within weeks Adhikari joined the BJP.
Reacting to this jibe, Abhishek said: "If I used a lift, I could have held 35 posts at once."
Also Read | TMC turned into private company: Suvendu Adhikari hits out at Mamata
It is also said that poll strategist Prashant Kishor was hired by Mamata on the insistence of his nephew and that the two have taken control of the party activities, much to the displeasure of several senior TMC leaders.
In the upcoming weeks, Bengal will witness a hotly contested Assembly election after a long time. While this election will test Mamata's political acumen and her popularity in the state, it will also make or break Abhishek's career. If TMC loses, Abhishek will be blamed by the disgruntled party members, putting his political future in jeopardy. But if TMC passes with flying colours, then Abhishek could be presented with a golden opportunity to prove naysayers wrong and stake his claim as the one to lead Bengal.
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