Eyeing the 2011 Assembly elections, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee has prepared a two-pronged strategy to take on the CPM-led state government.

Her Delhi team, comprising the Union ministers, will push for the state’s development and highlight the state government’s failure at the Central level, whereas her Kolkata team of MLAs and state leaders will rejuvenate the party at grassroots and organise mass movements against the CPM. The decision was taken at a closed-door party meeting on Saturday.

Leaders like MoS Rural Development Sisir Adhikary and MoS Health Dinesh Trivedi have been asked to scan the state government’s performance and find loopholes in schemes like NREGS and rural health development projects. Already, Adhikary has drawn up a list of panchayats, where NREGS performance has been poor and he is supposed to pull up the state government on that issue.

To spruce up the party at the grassroots level, Banerjee has set up a number of new branches, including a panchayat cell and cell for Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Leaders like Jyotipriyo Mullick have been made in-charge of the panchayat cell and Joachim Baxla, a former RSP MP from North Bengal has been made in-charge of the ST/SC cell. Purnendu Bose has been asked to take charge as advisor for the trade union wing of Trinamool Congress. Mullick has also been asked to boost the organisation among the landless labourers where the CPM is traditionally strong.

Banerjee, meanwhile, is expected to get another MoS at the Centre. Talks are on with the Congress for another minister, with the name of Sudip Bandopadhyay doing the rounds. The formal induction into the Union cabinet is expected after the Railway Budget is announced next month.

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