West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamta Banerjee picked up a Garo drum from a young drummer on a sunny Tuesday afternoon and played it carefully as she walked into the State Central Library campus here in poll-bound Meghalaya. She stopped herself from dancing with the troupes of Garo, Khasi and Jaintia, the three major tribes that call the shots in the Christian-majority state but the message was loud and clear. She was here to remove "the rumour" reportedly spread by the ruling National People's Party (NPP) and its ally BJP that TMC is a Bengali party.
"Rumour is being spread that TMC is a Bengali party. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee composed our national song, Vande Mataram. The entire nation sings Vande Mataram. Rabindranath Tagore wrote our national anthem and visited Shillong several times and stayed here, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose fought for the Independence of the nation, and Mother Teressa won the Nobel Peace Prize from Kolkata. Can we say they all were just Bengalis? The All India Trinamool Congress works for the entire country. I am a Bengali but I was railway Minister twice and worked for the entire country," Mamta told her party workers inside the auditorium here. Assembly elections in Meghalaya are slated for early next year.
"Why do we divide people based on caste, language and religion? Please vote for TMC and let's all work together for a better Meghalaya," Mamata said during her maiden visit since TMC became the biggest opposition party in the state after 12 out of 17 Congress MLAs switched over. Former CM Mukul Sangma leads the TMC MLAs now.
Nearly 1,000 TMC leaders holding party posts across Meghalaya attended the workers' convention here.
TMC general secretary Abishek Banerjee said nearly one lakh people has joined the party since they launched a membership drive in June this year. "Meghalaya will be run from Meghalaya only, not from Guwahati or Delhi as is being done now. We want the sons of this soil to run Meghalaya," Banerjee said.
Mukul Sangma, TMC's state chief Charlse Pyngrope also addressed party workers.
West Bengal model
Mamata highlighted the schemes being implemented in Bengal: free education for girls, and financial assistance for women, students and farmers and promised that the same would be implemented in Meghalaya after TMC comes to power. "We are paying Rs 10,000 to our farmers, health insurance scheme worth upto Rs 5 lakh, education loan upto Rs 10 lakh and many others," she said.
"Come to Kolkata and see how we celebrate Christmas. BJP canceled the holiday earlier given on Christmas. But in Bengal, I have given an extra holiday for Christmas. BJP is jealous of the development works we have done in Bengal," she said.
In the evening, Mamata and Abhishek joined TMC leaders and workers for the pre-Christmas celebration by cutting a cake at a resort in Shillong. Mamata said the TMC would offer a card, named We Card, which will entitle every woman in Meghalaya to Rs 1,000 every month transferred to their bank accounts after coming to power. "In Goa, we did not have strong leaders. But in Meghalaya, we have many leaders."
Border conflicts
Before addressing the convention, Mamata met the families of the victims of the Mukroh firing and handed over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to each. Five residents of Mukroh village in East Jaintia Hills district died in firing by neighbouring Assam Police and forest guards on November 21. "They killed people here but Chief Minister Conrad Sangma became silent. Why have those involved in the firing not been brought to task yet? The TMC will take steps to resolve border conflicts with Assam after coming to power."
Later talking to the media, Mamta said TMC would contest all 60 seats in the Assembly elections next year.