WB-OUTREACH-LD QUESTIONS

"Didikebolo" initiative proving to be a double-edged sword for
TMC
(Eds:with additional inputs, minor edits)
Kolkata, Aug 20 (PTI) The public outreach DidiKeBolo
(Tell Didi) intiative launched by West Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee is turning out to be a double-edged sword for
the TMC as it has both helped them in reaching out to the
masses and at the same time make them hear embarrassing
queries and complaints of extortion, cut money and corruption.
On advise of poll strategist Prashant Kishor and his
firm 'Indian Political Action Committee' - appointed by the
Trinamool Congress (TMC) after its Lok Sabha poll reverses -
Banerjee had on July 29 launched a helpline number 9137091370
and a website www.didikebolo.com as a part of "DidiKeBolo" to
enable people have a direct interface with the party and its
functionaries.
The digital platform was a hit among people as over two
lakh calls were received in the first two days of the launch.
Banerjee had also unveiled the massive public outreach
programme under which over 1,000 party leaders will visit
10,000 villages over the next 100 days to understand people's
problems and redress their grievances.
The project is proving to be a boon for the people in
agony.
Hundreds of callers in personal distress due to ill
health have been provided immediate assistance by the state
health department and TMC leaders and ministers.
Senior TMC leaders cited examples of Rima Datta a resident
of North 24 Parganas, Samar Mandal a resident of South 24
Parganas, Ebadur Rahman a resident of Hooghly district,
Jagannath Chakraborty a resident of Howrah district, Md Firoz
a resident of Jalpaiguri district and many such cases who were
either suffering from medical emergency or were not getting
admission in colleges.
"After getting calls from them we immediately contacted
local TMC leaders and concerned departments and was asked to
resolve the issues. All the complaints were addressed within
just 24 hours," a senior TMC leader told PTI.
Even people from Bengal stuck in floods in Karnataka and
Kerala were rescued after their location and coordinates were
passed on to the disaster management department, the TMC
leader said.
The digital platform also has a share of problem for the
ruling Trinamool Congress.
The initiative has raised some unwarranted allegations
for the TMC leadership.
"There has been calls with complaints of extortion, cut
money and running syndicates. As soon as we are receiving
those complains we are looking into it. Some callers have
complaints against certain leaders, especially those who have
joined TMC from other political outfits post 2011- when the
party came to power," another TMC leader said on condition of
anonymity.
During the mass outreach program too, the party leaders
are being forced to bite the tongue while answering queries on
"cut money" and local leadership's "arrogance", a party
functionary said here.
"Some people are happy that they can directly put up
their grievances, but there are others who are questioning us
on cut money, arrogance and misbehavior by local leaders and
the corruption charges leveled against them. We are facing a
tough time answering these questions. But we can assure you
that steps would be taken to address these issues," a TMC
leader, who too has faced such uncomfortable questions,told
PTI Tuesday.
Among those participating in the outreach programme
are senior party leaders and ministers Rabindranath Ghosh,
Jyotipriyo Mullick, Arup Roy, Firhad Hakim, Partha Chatterjee,
Sashi Panja, Sadhan Pande, Tapan Dasgupta, Nirmal Ghosh, Abdur
Rezzak Mollah.
"In areas where we have visited there is a large sectio
of people who have complaints against local leadership and are
asking us why we were hesitating to throw out corrupt and
arrogant leaders from the party. We will submit our
observations to the leadership," said another TMC leader.
Reacting to the development, state BJP president Dilip
Ghosh said people of Bengal are fed up with the misrule and
cut money business of TMC.
"The questions they are facing is just a mild reflection
of people's mindset, anger towards them. Time is running out
for TMC as people are getting ready to throw them out in next
assembly polls," Ghosh said.
According to sources, the Lok Sabha polls this year,
which saw the BJP bagging 18 of the state's 42 seats, have
debunked the myth of TMC's invincibility.
TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had in
June cautioned party councilors against indulging in corrupt
activities and extorting "cut money" or illegal commission
from people for doling out government scheme benefits.
The party, which won 22 Lok Sabha seats, has sought
"professional help" to refurbish its image in order to counter
an aggressive and ideology-driven BJP in the state, ahead of
the 2021 assembly polls, the sources said. PTI PNT MM
SNS SNS

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from a PTI feed.)