Ahead of her arrival, hoardings bearing “Jai Shree Ram” were put up in many places in Goa, next to hoardings of Banerjee with the Goa TMC’s catch phrase “Goenchi Navi Sakal” (Goa’s new dawn).
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in Goa for a three-day visit on Thursday — her first visit to the coastal state since the TMC announced last month that it will contest the Assembly polls slated for February-March 2022.
Banerjee’s visit is expected to kickstart her party’s election campaign in the state. The party is expected to see new inductions on Friday.
Ahead of her arrival, hoardings bearing “Jai Shree Ram” were put up in many places in Goa, next to hoardings of Banerjee with the Goa TMC’s catch phrase “Goenchi Navi Sakal” (Goa’s new dawn). BJP leader Amit Malviya tweeted pictures of the hoardings and wrote, “Mamata Banerjee’s reputation of being anti-Hindu in Bengal has tailed her to Goa, where she is being welcomed with giant size posters of Jai Shree Ram.”
The Goa TMC, in turn, filed a complaint at the Panaji police station saying some “goons” had defaced, damaged and vandalised the party’s posters and hoardings across the state. The complaint said the “goons” had been making “lewd, derogatory, false and fabricated” comments about Banerjee’s life. It named six persons who had shared pictures of the damaged hoardings on social media.
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After her five-day tour of north Bengal, Mamata left for Goa from the Bagdogra airport in the evening.
According to sources, she is likely to discuss her party’s poll alliance with regional players, hold meetings and interact with intellectuals during her three-day tour of the coastal state.
While Opposition BJP termed the TMC a frog in the well, the Congress said Mamata had gone to the western state with “a bag full of money”.
“If she had the intention to fight against the BJP then she should have first held talks with the Congress. In Goa, MLAs are easily bought with money. She has gone there with a bag full of money. She has looted Bengal and spending that money in Goa to strengthen her party. Everyone knows that she is working for the BJP,” said state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury, adding that she wanted to buy MLAs with that money.
West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said, “The TMC is a frog in the well. It has never seen the sea. After reaching the sea, it is jumping in joy. I challenge Mamata Banerjee to win one seat in Goa.”
Before leaving for Goa, the chief minister told reporters at Kurseong Circuit House, “I have talked to tea-garden women workers this morning… I will come again next month and everyone will be fine.” In the morning, she heard tea-garden workers out and interacted with children at Kurseong.
Setting the tone for her journey, Mamata had on Wednesday said, “I will go to Goa. Earlier today, our party started working. Even though permission was taken in advance (for a party ceremony), they (police) did not allow it. Four of our MPs have performed on the footpath. I’ve always been a street fighter. I live on the street. I will fight from the road. I will have a party at the tea shop and show them.”
Veteran TMC MP Sougata Roy said that people in Goa were fed up with the “misrule” of the BJP.
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