– Shabana Javed
Kolkata: After nearly a year of unrest, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to visit Sandeshkhali for a distribution programme scheduled for December 30. During the event, she will personally hand over the benefits of various government projects to 100 recipients.
This will mark the Chief Minister’s first visit to the island, which gained national attention over allegations of sexual harassment and land-grabbing by local Trinamool Congress leaders such as Sheikh Shahjahan, Shibaprasad Hazra, and Uttam Sardar.
Sandeshkhali was also in the spotlight earlier this year when an attack on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during the ration corruption investigation caused a stir in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. On January 5, local Trinamool leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his team were accused of assaulting an investigating officer and central forces, escalating political tensions in the election year.
Initially, the TMC faced public protests in Sandeshkhali. In response, the CM sent ministers and party leaders to address the situation. Despite the unrest, the TMC comfortably won the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency and achieved a significant victory in the Haroa Assembly by-election in the nearby area. At the time, residents of Sandeshkhali requested a visit from the CM, who promised to come after the elections.
Reflecting on the delayed visit, Mamata Banerjee said, “During the elections, many people asked, ‘Didi, why didn’t you come?’ I told them I would visit later.”
In the politically favourable backdrop of Sandeshkhali, the CM announced that approximately 20,000 residents will benefit from projects like Lakshmi Bhandar and housing schemes. Out of these, she will personally distribute benefits to 100 people.
