The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) officially launched its membership drive in Kerala on Sunday. AITC leaders Derek O’Brien, MP, and Mahua Moitra, MP, attended a seminar and a delegates’ meeting held at Manjeri on Sunday (February 23).
Mr. O’Brien and Ms. Moitra said that the Trinamool, which means grassroots, would prefer deeds to words. They said the AITC was very clear in its political stand and would not make compromises on issues affecting the people.
Mr. O’Brien said in the AITC perspective, Wakf was not a religious issue. Rather it is a constitutional matter. Underscoring the importance taking on the BJP at the national level, Mr. O’Brien said that the Trinamool Congress had a better track record than that of the Congress.
“Whenever the BJP and the Congress fight one-on-one, 90% of the seats go to the BJP. When the Trinamool Congress takes on the BJP, it is 70-30. Seventy per cent of the seats are won by the Trinamool and the BJP gets only 30%. Our track record is there for everyone to see,” said Mr. O’Brien.
Answering questions from the media, he said it was too early to say whether the Trinamool would become part of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala. However, he said the hospitality and the generosity displayed by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal when they met on Saturday was heart-warming.
Mr. O’Brien said that a book on the life and struggle of Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee, who was seven times MP, four times Union Minister, and three times Chief Minister, in Malayalam would be released in Kerala soon.
“Mamata Didi’s story need to be told the people of Kerala,” said P.V. Anvar, Trinamool State coordinator.
Common ground
Ms. Moitra said that the Trinamool Congress would never sit on the fence, rather it would fight tooth and nail for what it stands for. She said there was a lot in common between the people of Bengal and Kerala.
Ms. Moitra said that the Trinamool, with 39% women representation in Parliament, would do everything possible to uplift women in Kerala. “Kerala has still very low representation of women in Parliament and Assembly. We need to address this,” she said.
A seminar on human-animal conflict preceded the delegates session. The Trinamool leaders demanded that effective measures be taken to address the human-wildlife conflict. Several non-AITC members, including IUML MLAs N. Shamsudheen and U.A. Latheef, attended the seminar.
Mr. Anvar said that the membership drive would continue for six months.
