Rekha Patra’s life has changed after the Sandeshkhali movement in West Bengal’s small village in the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency of North 24 Parganas district. A homemaker known to be a calm and quiet bou (daughter-in-law) is now the BJP candidate, who starts her day with her poll campaign and ends it with a party meeting.
Even though she is a novice politician, she is trying her best to reach out to as many people as possible. She told News18 that she prays that TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh should pay for what he has done, and suffer more than what the women of Sandeshkhali have collectively gone through.
Excerpts from an interview:
Has life changed for you?
Yes. Nowadays, I start my day by meeting and reaching out to as many people as possible because I need their blessings. Without them, nothing can change.
How did you feel when you got to know that you were a BJP candidate, and the PM called you?
We started a movement and then we saw the police were against us and the administration was not supporting us. The main issue was against the chief minister as everything has happened at her behest. We were continuously tortured by bad people and Modi ji supported us. We will stand against injustice and work for women and the poor. Modi ji has supported our fight and despite being poor, I got confidence from that.
You are not a politician. Are you facing any issues?
The problem was the TMC. Now that we are going to people, we have discovered that they want us. We protested and Shahjahan and his aides were arrested, but there are several such Shahjahans all over Bengal. I am sure there are more women like us who find it difficult to come out and speak up. Seeing us, they might get the courage to do so.
Do you feel there are more such places like Sandeshkhali in West Bengal?
There are a lot of Sandeshkhalis where the TMC ‘gunadabahini’ is active. Now, they are saying they will give us houses. When we needed them, they did not give. There are more Sandeshkhalis in Bengal, but people are not in a position to say so because it’s not easy. When Mamata Banerjee was supposed to support us, she did not. It’s too late now.
Are you facing any intimidation now?
They don’t do it to me. How will they do it to me now? I will intimidate them through our movement. The TMC and the goondas are afraid of us now. It’s time to give an answer and all of us will do that now. They all have tortured sisters, mothers or brothers.
The TMC is saying that the Sandeshkhali movement was the BJP’s plan. What’s your take on that?
Whatever they are saying is a lie. They have played with our ‘izzat’. A lot of women have gone out of Bengal and they are unable to show their faces. How can they say this is a plan, when each and every person has faced torture?
There is a video of Shahjahan crying, which is doing the rounds. What’s your take on that?
He has been making all of us cry since 2011. All the mothers and sisters have cried because of him and his people. He definitely has to cry today. This is just the beginning, there is more punishment waiting for him.
Will Sandeshkhali affect other seats?
Everybody will answer through their vote as people are facing a Shahjahan everywhere. People are waiting for polling day.
Do you expect the PM to come to your constituency?
I am sure he will come. He came to Barasat and called me. I never thought that I will get a call from him.
There is a good percentage of minorities in your constituency. What will you tell them? Are you confident?
It’s not about Hindu and Muslim; all have faced torture. All of them are showering their blessings on me. I don’t want to change my life, I want to change other people’s lives.
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