Trinamool hijacks BJP’s ‘chai pe charcha’ campaign by putting up party daily in tea stalls

With the panchayat polls next year and the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, the “battle” for Bengal has much to do with public perception.

And with the All India Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party being the only two parties to look out for in the state’s political arena, the public scrutiny is that much more intense.

However, Trinamool party president and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seems to have found a way to beat the Bharatiya Janata Party at its own game. Banerjee, who was attending the launch of the festive edition of the party’s newspaper Jago Bangla, asked party’s councillors to buy at least 10 prints of the newspaper and put them up on reading boards, in restaurants, libraries and clubs. There was one interesting addition to this list—tea stalls.

The BJP, long ago, had initiated a public outreach campaign, ‘chai pe charcha’ (Discussion over tea). Although not a direct connection, Trinamool’s outreach to the tea stalls could strengthen through the newspaper reaching the last mile with no cost at the reader’s end, or Banerjee seemed to think so.

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The BJP’s emergence as a political opponent in the state in 2019 draws from a strong communication practice—one which was not visible as strongly at the Trinamool’s end.

Three years down the line, however, there seems to be a course correction, as the ruling party not only has engaged a political consultancy, but also has a group of spokespersons, and an active media team, ready to counter its political opponents.

This approach is different from an earlier phase when Trinamool maintained a certain distance when it came to interacting with the national media, and reacting to daily questions on issues that required the party to react promptly.

Now, the Trinamool holds its opponents responsible for many of the discussions—some with negative effects—in the public domain.

Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday observed that every issue these days has shaped up into a controversy. “The people of Bengal are not stoking these controversies. Outsiders have prepared this mentality using money, certain digital platforms, and social media networks,” Banerjee said.

She also drew a new parallel that highlights the need for Trinamool’s communication strategists to make an extra effort. “I have been noticing that even if I present my opinions, people spread distorted versions of them. But chai pe charcha is okay? And I can’t talk about people becoming self-employed?” Banerjee said.