Chandra Bose promises direct benefits from PM house to south Kolkata

KOLKATA: Being a member of Subhas

Chandra Bose

’s family,

Kolkata South

BJP candidate Chandra Kumar Bose has not only been invoking his famous ancestor to reach out to the electorate but has also been holding forth his “direct access to Prime Minister Narendra Modi” to sail past his rivals.


People of south Kolkata had been let down for three decades, said Bose, promising a turnaround, using his proximity to the PM’s office. “I will bring direct benefits from the Prime Minister’s house to south Kolkata. My constituency deserves it for it has been misled and neglected for generations. I have joined BJP for I trust Modi’s leadership and I will use my access to the highest office to ensure things get done,” he said during a mid-day break from campaigning on Wednesday. Bose, who had contested the 2016 Assembly polls from Bhawanipore, taking on none other than chief minister Mamata Banerjee, has been spending 12 hours on the road, criss-crossing the lanes and by-lanes of south Kolkata for the past three weeks.

Bose, who successfully led a campaign to declassify the Netaji documents, said, “When I campaigned three years ago, I was better known for the declassification campaign. It gave me an access to Modiji and I have no hesitation in using it. My voters know that and many have actually come up to me and said ‘you can take our views to the PM’. I see an air of excitement around the BJP campaign that is unprecedented.”

A new entrant in politics—Bose joined BJP in January 2016—he worked with the Tata group for 18 years before starting his own business venture. His father, Amiyanath Bose, was the son of Subhas Chandra’s elder brother, Sarat Chandra. “My father was an MP and I have been associated with the campaign to declassify the Netaji documents. But I am not falling back on the Bose family legacy to win the election. Netaji belongs to every Indian, not just one family. I would rather focus on the issues that plague south Kolkata,” he declared. Bose, however, added Netaji’s ideology of a strong, secure and united India inspired him and his campaign.

Pot-holed roads, irregular water supply and poor living conditions in slums had to be addressed, pointed out the 58-year-old. “Even the overhead TV cables are risky and need to be moved underground. Nothing has been done for south Kolkata, which had been faithful to the Trinamool. But failed commitments have turned the people against the Trinamool and it’s time to say goodbye to the party. It’s the BJP’s time now,” he said.

Bose’s campaign also centres around national security, with Bengal having “high stakes in it”. “The state has been encouraging terrorism by allowing illegal immigrants from Bangladesh to settle down here. Rohingyas have been given an entry. Mamata Banerjee is doing this with an eye on creating a vote bank. Previously, the CPM would do the same thing. Our citizens are being denied and put at risk. So my campaign is also a movement to save Bengal,” he said. He also strive to promote the history, heritage and culture of his constituency. “This area belongs to the educated, intellectual people who have never been represented in Delhi. South Kolkata MPs have rarely spoken in Parliament. If elected, I will speak every day,” said Bose, who maintained that he was neither intimidated by his rivals, nor did he disrespect them.

This election is a semi-final of sort for him and BJP, he said. “The real fight will be the Assembly polls two years from now. We will win. Trinamool’s downfall will begin with this election,” Bose concluded.