ISF's Amphan relief work puts it in dominant position

The efforts of the apolitical wing of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) and CPI-M in relief operations during Cyclone Amphan could stand the ISF in good stead when the Deganga constituency in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas goes to vote on April 17. ISF is a partner of the Left-Congress-ISF alliance, christened as 'Sanyukta Morcha'. The Deganga constituency is dominated by minorities. It is set to witness a three-cornered contest between AITC candidate Rahima Mondal, a sitting MLA, ISF candidate Karim Ali, and BJP’s Dipika Chatterjee.

However, it is the contest between AITC and ISF that will be watched closely, as the constituency has an 80% minority population, while the rest are Hindus. The BJP will corner the Hindu votes, which might have gone to the AITC if the BJP was not in the fray. There is apathy against AITC candidate and standing MLA Rahima Mondal for allegedly not extending help to the people and not reaching the cyclone devastated areas after Amphan ravaged large areas of Deganga, Hingalganj and Sandeshkhali (all three are different constituencies in Assembly polls) in North 24 Parganas district last year.

Large-scale relief work, including community kitchens, rescue and rebuilding of temporary houses was quickly started by the apolitical social work wing of ISF and grassroots organisation of CPM. Holding sway over the minority community, Abbas Siddique is like an icon to them. A Muslim cleric and head of Muslim shrine Furfura Sharif, Abbas Siddique has floated his political outfit before the Bengal polls. “Post Cyclone Amphan, ISF chief Abbas Siddique’s apolitical organisation worked for the people of the area. He has tremendous control over minority people in the area. Relief by government reached much later,” Mohd Bahran Sheikh, a Gram Panchayat member & secretary from Berachapa, told ET.