The West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has put up posters across Bengal describing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee “anti-tribal community” ahead of the presidential election on Monday.
The posters also feature Droupadi Murmu, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Murmu belongs to the tribal community.
The posters depict Mamata Banerjee holding hands with tribal community members who are wearing gloves during a dance. BJP leaders accused the Chief Minister of forcing ‘Janajatiya’ women to wear gloves at a function in Alipurduar district “so that she could hold their hand and pose for a picture.”
West Bengal | Posters calling CM Mamata Banerjee “anti-tribal community” being put up by BJP in the state. The poster also shows NDA’s Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu and PM Narendra Modi.
TMC has supported Yashwant Sinha, Opposition’s candidate for the Presidential poll. pic.twitter.com/2GW9791F2h
— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2022
Trinamool Congress and several other opposition parties have fielded former union minister Yashwant Sinha as their presidential candidate.
Various parties have extended their support to the NDA candidate including Congress ally Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), and RJD ally Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav has also extended his support to Murmu.
Murmu is a former Governor of Jharkhand and a former Odisha minister. If elected, she will be the first tribal President of India and the country’s second female President.
The counting of votes for the presidential election will take place on July 21.
