The Trinamul Congress released its election manifesto a few days back with a ten-point promise if the party came back to power for the consecutive fourth term.
A party which has been fighting for the glory of Bengali language, TMC has promised ‘Banglar Gaurab Gatha’ curriculum in all government and government-aided schools to ensure the children of Bengal learn about their state’s glorious history.
The move is significant after a spate of incidents which took place in many of the states where migrant workers from Bengal were targeted reportedly for their language.
Trinamul Congress spokesperson Riju Dutta, clarifies: “TMC is a Bengal centric party. With the present political scenario in India and also in Bengal, the primary opposition party, BJP, is trying to attack the ethos of Bengal. They are calling our mother tongue ‘Bangladeshi’ language. They are labelling us as ‘Bangladeshis’. In this respect, it is paramount to safeguard our culture, history, icons and our language.
Another related point which the TMC has promised is making ‘Bangla’ language AI-ready. The manifesto mentions: “Make Bangla the most AI-ready Indian Language by setting up a dedicated fund to aid building AI tools and applications in Bangla, cross-lingual language models for high-accuracy translations and comprehensive Bangla digital archives, data-sets and open-source language resources.”
Dutta gives out the idea behind the move. “Bengali is one of the prime languages of the country. In Bengal, a lot of people write their competitive exams in Bengali. But all the AI tools available on the market and used by students are in English. So, we are focusing on Bengali. Just think of this, somebody from rural Bengal can use ChatGPT, if it is in Bengali. The same applies for photo editing apps like Canva. These will be very useful for people who use social media in Bengali,” he said.
The Trinamul Congress has also mentioned about attracting investors and making the state investment-friendly. The manifesto mentions a Special Purpose Vehicle (‘Banglar Shilpo’ Accelerator) to be established to ensure seamless conversion of MoUs into tangible infrastructure. In accordance with this, the state will also be setting up a High-Performance Delivery Unit in coordination with the CMO for the completion of all major initiatives of the government.
Another significant promise by the party is introducing a 24×7 mental health crisis helpline called ‘Moner Sathi’ that will ensure stigma-free mental health support.
The TMC spokesperson said the chief minister, who is also the health minister, recognises the need for a dignified treatment for mental health patients. “Nowadays, mental health issues are recognised worldwide as an illness. But, in India, it is still considered a taboo. Mamata Banerjee recognises this and is focusing on the treatment. Hubs will be created where mental health treatment will be given utmost importance. This is a landmark decision and other states should also follow this,” said Dutta.
The manifesto also mentions ‘Mission Mahanagar’, which is about holistic redevelopment of 25 major towns as state-of-the-art model cities. Riju Dutta said: “There is a difference between Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi. Miss Banerjee’s commitment is her credibility, whereas Mr Modi’s commitments are nothing but fake stories. In 2014, after coming to power, the PM had said he will develop 100 smart cities. But that never materialised. ‘Mission Mahanagar’ is a holistic approach, where the govt will handpick 25 towns and develop them, not only infrastructure-wise, but also with civic amenities. If a town has any special cultural trait, it will be developed too, leading to its culture and heritage also getting a fillip.”
Patagram in Pingla, West Midnapore is a prime example, where every year in December, tourists from all over the world, elaborated Dutta.
The state will also be setting up dedicated kidney banks across Bengal for the ease of access of patients and donors. This will especially help patients, who do not have family members or whose types do not match with members of their immediate family, said Dutta.