Menaka, Rajeev debut on political stage

Kolkata: Trinamool's Rajya Sabha nominees, ex-DGP Rajeev Kumar and senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, on Friday made their debut on a political stage alongside CM Mamata Banerjee.

While Kumar could not shed his hesitancy and did not speak, Guruswamy's two-minute speech — culminating in a pledge that the fight for Bengal's voters will be fought in the Supreme Court and in every other court — led to a spontaneous applause.




Both Kumar and Guruswamy are expected to sail through to the Upper House given TMC's numerical strength in the Bengal assembly. TOI has reported that Guruswamy is the first openly queer person to contest the March 16 RS polls.

After Banerjee introduced Guruswamy to party supporters from the dharna mancha dais, she started with TMC's trademark "Jai Bangla" slogan, adding, "Jai Samvidhan, Jai voting rights".

Guruswamy said: "For 200 years, we tolerated the British. We fought. We then adopted the Constitution — ‘We, the People.' The Constitution which we have adopted says two primary things about all of us: that we are all equals. We are equal irrespective of our religion, community, gender or the place we belong to. And the second most important point the Constitution emphasises is that every citizen of this country has the right to vote. Today, this Constitution binds all of India."

"I am a lawyer. And I am an ordinary lawyer. But I have only one thing in my heart — the Constitution of India," she continued in Hindi, with Banerjee nodding and poet Joy Goswami and singer Kabir Suman listening intently.

"The Constitution has, for the first time, given every citizen the right to vote. I have not seen this before… that 60 lakh people in Bengal will now be adjudicated. You may even be stripped of your right to vote. If that happens, how will elections be free and fair? We will fight against this in the Supreme Court, and in every other court," she said, her short speech punctuated several times by applause.

Kumar, however, chose to sit at the far right of the stage, flanked by seasoned politicians, state IT minister Babul Supriyo (another RS pick), and Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra. Kumar did not speak, either on stage or with reporters on the sidelines.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Women's day wishes, messages and quotes !