As political parties gear up for an intense electoral contest in the state of West Bengal, India’s most-trusted Hindi news channel, ABP News, hosted another momentous edition of the day long political summit, ‘ShikharSammelan’ on 18^th February 2021, to shed light on the key issues of the state.

Owing to the popularity of the mega-event amongst Indian viewers, this edition of ShikharSammelan on-boarded a clutch of top sponsors. The Presenting Sponsors of the event were ShikharPaan Masala and ABP Weddings. It was Powered By – Nine Sanitary Napkins and Co-Powered By – Wild Stone. ShikharSammelan also had Rupa Frontline as a Partner, Beauty Relay as a Beauty Partner, and Mukharochak as a Snacks Partner.

The flagship conclave brought to the fore, the promises and perspectives of the political parties in the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, insightful deliberations on local issues and national imperatives such as farmers’ protest, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA),GST, and future of the Indian economy. Political heavyweights of the nation threw light on the promises and manifestos of their parties and answered the pertinent question – ‘Who will make sonar Bengal?’

 The renowned knowledge-sharing platform saw a diverse line-up of political luminaries such as JagdeepDhankhar(Governor – West Bengal), SukhenduSekhar Roy (Rajya Sabha MP), Gaurav Bhatia (BJP Spokesperson), Amit Shah(Honorable Minister of Home Affairs), SupriyaShrinate(Congress Spokesperson),Vivek Gupta (TMC),Meenakshi Mukherjee (CPIM),BaishaliDalmia(BJP),LaxmiRatan Shukla(Former Cricketer & TMC Leader), Sujata Mondal Khan (TMC), Saugata Roy (TMC),Ritabhari Chakraborty, Arjun Chakraborty, Manoj Tiwari, Samidh Mukherjee, AdhirRanjan Chowdhury, Tathagata Roy, Sambit Patra, Rohan Gupta, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar(TMC),Shatarup Ghosh (CPIM),Jeetendra Tiwari(TMC), Arjun Singh (MP), Subhankar Sarkar (Congress),Dr. Shashi Panja(TMC),Agnimitra Paul(BJP),Monalisa Banerjee (Congress),Saayoni Ghosh, Firhad Hakim, and Dilip Ghosh.

Elaborating on the popular summit, Mr. Avinash Pandey, CEO, ABP Network said, “Every election season, our flagship event, ‘ShikharSammelan’, brings important discourses of the state and the nation to public scrutiny, through stimulating discussions and adrenaline-packed debates. It provides a unique platform to political leaders,to express their views and establish a stronger connection with the voters. This time too, these thought-provoking discussions will be crucial in setting the tone for the upcoming elections.”

 

About ShikharSammelan

A platform that deliberates on relevant issues of significance to the common people, ShikharSammelan provides an opportunity for both the government and opposition to debate on these challenges and outline the way forward.

Key Highlights:  

• Speaking exclusively on the conclave, Honorable Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah said that the Agri laws passed by the Centre are for the benefit of the farmers. “Agri laws give extra provisions to farmers and snatch nothing from them. If they think there is a need to talk, we are ready to discuss. But discussion cannot happen with the condition that repeals the laws first,” he said.
• TMC leader, Mr. Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said that there is no mechanism to stop the violence in the state. However, the party has strived to maintain peace and tran quillity in the state since it came to power.
• BJP leader Ms. Baishali Dalmiyawhile speaking at the summit said, “I am an Indian before anything else and I am proud to be an Indian. I want to do a lot for Bengal which I couldn’t while I was at TMC. Since three and a half years I have been saying that corruption is happening in Bengal, I have written many letters with regard to the same.”

She iterated that was fired from TMC. She also said that she has no grudges against TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and has always respected her.

• Speaking on the stage of ABP News’ ShikharSammelan, West Bengal Governor Mr. Jagdeep Dhankhar said that the condition of the state is worse than that of the emergency. “Law and order in the state has completely broken down. Industries are also closing here. People are becoming unemployed. There is a state of horror in West Bengal.”
• Talking about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the Centre is in doldrums to form rules of the legislation as Assembly Elections are due in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. “In case Amit Shah goes to Assam and says CAA will be implemented, it will cause a massive dent to them. Same in the case with West Bengal and other states. This is the reason why BJP is delaying the implementation of CAA,” he said.