Bengal BJP Needs 'SSP': 'Sharpen' Messaging, 'Shift' Narrative, And Be 'Proactive'

With the first two phases of polling in six seats of North Bengal getting over, the state is now entering the next five crucial phases.

North Bengal is a BJP stronghold and the party is expected to fare well there. But the remaining 36 seats spread over Central and South Bengal will determine if the BJP can get close to or meet its target of winning 35 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. 

In 2019, the BJP won all the six seats where polling has already been held, and also Malda Uttar that falls in North Bengal. The saffron party won 11 more seats in central and south Bengal. 

If the BJP has to increase its tally in Bengal, it has to pull up its socks and get its act together now. So far, it has been depending largely on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get votes. But Modi’s charisma, promises and powerful speeches won’t be enough to put the party in pole position in the remaining 36 seats that go to the polls in the remaining five phases. 

For that to happen, the BJP in Bengal will need to get proactive and aggressive, set the narrative, and effectively counter Mamata Banerjee. 

Here are a few crucial steps the BJP can take to gain the edge in central and south Bengal:

• Be proactive, set Trinamool on the backfoot

At present, the BJP in Bengal has been largely reactive and has not been able to effectively set the agenda. 

For instance, it is no secret that women form a huge chunk of Mamata Banerjee’s support base. Mamata has kept them happy through various doles like Lakshmir Bhandra (monthly dole of Rs 1000 to a woman) and Bidhaba Bhata (doles to widows). 

The BJP hasn’t thought of eroding this support base even though it isn’t difficult to do so. The BJP needs to tell beneficiaries that the Mamata Banerjee government is bankrupt and won’t be able to fund these schemes after the Lok Sabha elections. Back this up with statistics, and the BJP will have sowed the seeds of serious doubt among many women. 

Mamata Banerjee will be left countering this narrative, and will be put on the defensive. 

• The shame of Sandeshkhali

After the initial brouhaha over Sandeshkhali, the BJP has inexplicably failed to keep up the offensive against the Trinamool on this issue. 

The BJP has, quite smartly, nominated one of the victims of Sandeshkhali--Rekha Patra--as its candidate for the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat. 

But it ought to have done more; the party should have presented the other victims of Sandeshkhali at its public rallies all over the state to mobilise women against the Trinamool. 

The BJP should have constantly lampooned the Trinamool for its crimes in Sandeshkhali and targeted Mamata Banerjee for protecting the likes of Shahjahan Sheikh. 

• Make Trinamool’s corruption and scams a central issue

The BJP appears to have toned down its sharp attacks on Mamata Banerjee and her party for its involvement in the many scams that have brought infamy to Bengal. 

But it is important to maintain the momentum and keep on reminding voters of these scams that have ensnared a host of Trinamool Congress leaders and functionaries. 

There is palpable anger on the ground, especially in rural areas, against Trinamool functionaries who have looted funds meant for the poor and illegally cornered benefits. The BJP has to leverage this anger and fuel it so that it becomes a wave against the Trinamool. 

• Aggressively counter Trinamool’s campaign

Mamata Banerjee has been trying to paint the BJP as an anti-Bengali party. And going by the public response to this allegation hurled by her against the BJP, it seems that her allegation is finding many takers. 

The BJP should move swiftly to counter this campaign by marshalling facts and figures. 

Mamata Banerjee is basing her charge on the non-disbursal of funds for centrally-sponsored welfare schemes and projects by the Union Government.

The BJP should go on the offensive and tell people of Bengal that it is Mamata Banerjee and her party who are to blame for this since a huge amount of funds that had been sent earlier were looted by Trinamool functionaries. And Mamata Banerjee’s steadfast refusal to take action against the guilty since they are her partymen has resulted in the stoppage of funds. 

This message needs to be conveyed in a simple, strong and effective manner, and is a language that the masses can understand. 

• Become agile and take the battle to Trinamool’s door

The BJP has to display more agility in countering the Trinamool’s propaganda. The recent order of the Calcutta High Court cancelling the appointments of over 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff recruited by the state education department is a case in point. 

The order was a blow to the Trinamool, but Mamata Banerjee quickly built a false narrative that the judiciary, at the behest of the BJP, has taken away so many jobs. 

She has been accusing the BJP of taking away jobs from people at all her rallies over the last few days.

The fact is that the High Court cancelled so many appointments because the state government has consistently failed, despite urgings by the Courts, to take action against a small number of appointees who had secured their appointments through foul means. 

The BJP should have mounted a strong offensive accusing Mamata Banerjee of sacrificing more than 25,000 jobs of teachers and non-teaching staff just to protect the interests of a few thousand who had paid large sums of money to Trinamool leaders to get their jobs. 

That would have put Mamata Banerjee on the backfoot. But the BJP has failed to do so in an effective manner. This needs to be corrected immediately.

• BJP candidates and functionaries have to work harder

At the end of the day, what matters is hard work. The BJP in Bengal has only to look to Prime Minister Modi who is untiringly crisscrossing the country addressing rallies and holding roadshows everyday even in the scorching heat. 

But BJP leaders, candidates and workers in Bengal can hardly be seen for most of the day. Admittedly, Bengal is experiencing a heatwave. But that hasn’t kept Modi, or even Mamata Banerjee and her party candidates and functionaries, indoors. 

The BJP has to launch a more visible and aggressive campaign if it is serious about improving its 2019 tally of 18 seats. 

• BJP has to set its own house in order now

It is no secret that many top leaders of the BJP in Bengal are working at cross-purposes and their constant bickering and moves to undermine each other has led to factionalism in the party and also demoralised many workers. 

The central leadership of the party has to intervene immediately and convey in no uncertain terms to the state leaders that they have to bury the hatchet and work unitedly. This message should be conveyed right now along with the dire warning that defiance will invite strong action. 

Despite expending considerable resources, the BJP has not been able to build organisational muscle in south Bengal. The party’s central leadership needs to focus on this right away and get the state unit to not only bolster the party’s numbers at the grassroots level, but also add muscle. 

• Set the narrative in Bengal

Lastly, the BJP has to set the narrative in Bengal, and it has to do so very aggressively. There are a number of issues that need to be highlighted. 

Trinamool’s corruption and scams, misgovernance, the state’s alarming debt burden (nearly Rs 6.48 lakh crore), Sandeshkhali, poor law and order situation, Mamata Banerjee’s appeasement of Muslims and the consequent rise in Muslim aggression against Hindus, Mamata’s failure to attract investments, flight of capital (including human capital) out of the state, acute unemployment, continuing economic and industrial decline of the state are the primary issues around which a strong narrative needs to be set.

The whole idea is to mount such a strong offensive against the Trinamool that Mamata Banerjee is kept busy responding to the BJP’s campaign with no time left to set a narrative herself. 

• Keep the focus on issues, not personalities

The BJP has to keep the focus on the many issues highlighted above and not fall into the trap of launching personal attacks on Mamata Banerjee or any other lady in the Trinamool. 

Such attacks by BJP leaders had, in the past, provided fuel to the Trinamool.

The Bengal unit of the BJP has to double down on its offensive against the Trinamool to win a good number of seats in central and south Bengal.