- Trinamool Congress has incorporated religious slogans like "Jai Shree Ram" in its campaign strategy
- BJP is focusing on development and administrative change alongside religious appeals in Bengal
- Both parties are using Hindu religious symbolism to appeal to voters in the upcoming assembly election
The political calculus for the coming assembly election in West Bengal has become not just interesting but has also acquired a new curve. A fresh dimension has come up in both camps - with the ruling Trinamool Congress gravitating towards religion while the BJP is talking of development and trying to establish itself as a party capable of bringing the winds of change to Bengal.
Back in 2019, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would react strongly when she heard the "Jai Shree Ram" slogan - so much so that BJP workers often used it to get her to react. Wherever Mamata Banerjee went, BJP members would yell "Jai Shree Ram" in an attempt to provoke her. On one occasion, Banerjee had even got out of her car and chased away slogan-shouting BJP workers.
At the time, the ruling Trinamool Congress declared that while "Jai Shree Ram" carried a religious connotation, the BJP was using it politically. The party said it was strongly against politicisation of religion. There were even instances of BJP workers getting arrested over this issue.
But this time, the situation has undergone a sea change. Trinamool has tweaked its strategy, incorporating a liberal dose of religion.
Arguing that the "Jai Shree Ram slogan" is not the property of the BJP, Trinamool leaders had chanted "Jai Shree Ram" in many places during Friday's Ram Navami celebration. This was being done by public figures including actor Dev and at a public rally in Medinipur and senior party leader Madan Mitra in his locality.
The Trinamool's shift in strategy has sparked debate. The Left has accused the party of adopting elements from Hindutva politics. What is happening in Bengal now is a form of "competitive Hindutva," they have alleged.
The Left bloc critics have also pointed to the Banerjee's government's temple-building spree. The last few years have seen several prominent temples come up - including the Jagannath Temple in Digha and the Mahakal Temple in Siliguri. Even in Kolkata, there have been major temple initiatives related to Durga puja.
This situation has placed the Left in a complicated position. If they take a strictly atheist stance, it becomes politically difficult for them in a society where religious identity is growing in importance.
The BJP, meanwhile, has also adjusted its own political strategy. Taking local sentiments into account, it is raising slogans in the name of "Ma Kaali" and "Ma Durga".
Senior BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have also started using slogans like "Jai Maa Kali" and "Jai Maa Durga".
Moreover, the BJP is no longer framing the election solely in religious terms.
Taking a page out of the book of Trinamool, the party has made the slogan "Parivartan"- meaning change - the core of its campaign theme. This was the same slogan Mamata Banerjee had adopted in 2011 to topple the 35-year-old Left regime.
Large political gatherings such as the Brigade Parivartan Rally have been organised, and Parivartan Yatras have been conducted from several locations across the state.
Hindutva remains the BJP's ideological backdrop but its public messaging is now increasingly focuses on development and administrative change.
Senior leaders like Amit Shah have clarified that the BJP's objective is not merely a change of Chief Minister. The aim, they said, is to bring about a broader transformation in the governance.
Both PM Modi and Amit Shah have often avoided mentioning Mamata Banerjee's name directly in their speeches. Instead, they focus on criticising what they describe as the misgovernance of the state government.
In their campaign speeches, BJP leaders frequently cite district-wise data on issues such as atrocities against women and governance failures. Without naming Mamata Banerjee directly, they sometimes refer to the administration as "Nirmamata's government," suggesting a government without compassion.
Mamata Banerjee often argues that West Bengal is being treated unfairly by the central government, using the metaphor "Duorani" and "Suorani" -- meaning the state has status of a neglected secondary queen rather than the favoured one.
In this backdrop, the BJP is attempting to present development as its primary message, while the Trinamool is adapting its political language and symbolism to neutralise the BJP. The result is a fascinating and evolving political contest in the run-up to the assembly election.
