Ten months after her massive mandate, the West Bengal Chief Minister continues to be in election mode, obstructing difficult decisions by the Centre and rejecting unpopular advice from State officials.
On March 19, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee swept imperiously into Parliament House to “persuade” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to appoint Mukul Roy as railway minister, and roll back much of the increase in rail passenger fares, just hours after she had forced Dinesh Trivedi to put in his papers. That accomplished, she pressured the Congress to withdraw its candidate for a Rajya Sabha seat from West Bengal, enabling her to push four instead of three of her nominees into the Upper House, before flying back to Kolkata. What did the Congress receive in return? Yes, the Trinamool Congress didn't back the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s amendments to the President's Address on the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), but its MPs, ministers included, only embarrassed the UPA government by walking out of both houses of Parliament.
Embarrassing the UPA
It was all part of a familiar pattern. Last year, Ms Banerjee torpedoed the Teesta Waters Agreement with Bangladesh, embarrassing the Prime Minister; halted the government's efforts to introduce FDI in retail; and after backing the Lokpal Bill in the Lok Sabha, opposed it in the Rajya Sabha. This year, she joined opposition Chief Ministers to railroad the NCTC and, for good measure, got MP Ratna De to shred the general budget proposals in the Lok Sabha. “It's called compulsive populism,” an exasperated State official told The Hindu.
If the Trinamool out-opposes the real opposition in Delhi, Ms Banerjee plays Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition, by turn, in Bengal.
On March 3, four days after Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee led a procession through Kolkata in an open jeep, she followed suit, bringing the city to a halt, accusing the Left of maligning her government.
In the State
Ten months after she won a massive mandate, ending 34 years of Left rule in the State, she remains in election mode, as determined to prevent the Centre from taking difficult decisions, as she is to reject unpopular, if pragmatic, advice from her officials. Instead, she has focused on the optics: after being anointed Chief Minister at Raj Bhavan last year, she walked to Writers' Building through a kilometre-long surging sea of humanity. Eight months later, Ms Banerjee, en route to attend Republic Day celebrations, alighted from her car at one end of Red Road — along which the parade passes — and walked to the Maidan, where she was to receive Governor M.K. Narayanan. She ambled down, waving to the cheering crowds: when she arrived, the Governor — in a reversal of traditional protocol — was waiting for her.
Today, Ms Banerjee still believes she only has to wave her wand, and Jangalmahal will be magically transformed into a rural paradise, Darjeeling into a land of smiling Gorkhas, Kolkata into London, and West Bengal into India's industrial giant. But the jackboots she wears beneath that fairy godmother costume peep out each time she cracks her whip to make civil servants and industrialists — like her Trinamool colleagues — jump through the hoops. In January, she forced a sheepish Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) to repeat her claims on developmental works in front of an audience in Maoist-affected Jhargram. A few days earlier, she reduced sharp-suited captains of industry and foreign diplomats to schoolboy status: naming them individually from her vantage point on stage at the “Bengal Leads 2012” business summit in Kolkata, she asked them “what their problem” was — why were they not investing in Bengal?
That script went awry on March 14: in full TV glare, Mr. Trivedi refused to reverse the hike in passenger fares, spotlighting not just disaffection in the Trinamool, but also Ms Banerjee's unwillingness — as demonstrated in this year's State budget proposals — to frontally address Bengal's economic crisis, the key challenge to her government. Currently, as she struggles to pay government salaries, a burden enhanced by 2,75,000 new jobs, State officials despair. “In her first few months,” said one official, “she should have increased resources through higher taxes and raised electricity tariffs. She was so popular she would have got away with it. The longer she waits, the tougher it will get.” This is, especially as Delhi has ruled out an economic bailout for Bengal.
Credibility at stake
She's also unwilling to admit that anyone in her party or government can err. Last year, she raised eyebrows when she marched into a police station to bail out Trinamool hoodlums; this year, her unsympathetic response to a young woman who was raped after leaving a nightclub on Kolkata's fashionable Park Street has become a watershed for the city's middle class, even as growing incidents of rape and political violence in rural Bengal in recent days have become grist for the Left mill.
As Ms Banerjee's personal credibility begins to take a beating, and there is little on the credit side as far as governance goes, her party colleagues are staining at the leash. Trinamool sources told The Hindu that Mr. Trivedi's demotion is fuelling discontent among its MPs, with Mr. Roy's elevation angering them further: they believe his unsavoury past will catch up with him and embarrass the party again. Of the party's 19 Lok Sabha MPs, Mr. Trivedi and poet Kabir Suman (who'd already gone public with his unhappiness), apart, Sudip Bandopadhyay, Kalyan Banerjee, Saugata Roy, Suvendu Adhikari, Sisir Kumar Adhikari, Sucharu Ranjan Haldar and Somen Mitra reportedly figure in the list of the disenchanted.
Ms Banerjee needs to stem the rot, keeping a sharp eye on the Muslim vote, before the panchayat polls next year when she will face her first electoral test after she came to power. In last year's Assembly elections, she broke the Left's hold over the 27 per cent strong Muslim population, pushing the latter's vote percentage in the State down to 41 per cent.
Not surprisingly, Rs.570 crore has been set aside for minority welfare in this year's State budget.
So, has the girl who clawed her way up from the slums of Kolkata to the seat of power done anything right? “Her inability to take no for an answer can work well occasionally,” a police officer admits. “Last year, when she wanted to recruit home guards from Jangalmahal, she was told the rules forbade recruitment from a specific region. When she remained adamant, a way out was found.” That's the flip side of her total disregard for rules, procedures, or indeed the law, if it comes in her way. But can she leverage her inclination to cut through red tape to remain a force in Bengal politics? For that will determine her ability to successfully scare Delhi about her imminent departure from the UPA — and extract what she wants.
Keywords: UPA government, Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress, West Bengal Chief Minister, National Counter Terrorism Centre, Dinesh Trivedi
We had a lot of expectations from Mamta di when she came to power with
thumping majority.I was of the view that she will concentrate on
Infrastructure development and Industrialization so that we stop
loosing our talents as there was no job opportunity left in this
state.It is unfortunate that nothing is happening and things are
becoming Bad to Worse.My suggestion would be to delegate the
authority, improve the environment and generate confidence among the
Industrialist,so that they do not hesitate in investing in the
projects in our state,which has got all the natural resources
available in and around the state.
mamta bannerjee has a total opposition mentality and that stems from the fact that she has always been in the opposition from the time she joined politics....she also has got a very rebellious and unaccommodating personality which is not needed in a parliamentary democracy..constant arm twisting of the govt and impeding reforms will put her into a more dangerous position than the congress...
From some of the comments,i realize that, We Indians have to start treating politicians as they are. Just another citizen. All this honorable xzy, mamata"di", amma, netaji, etc etcjust
goes to show how much we have become used to being enslaved by the politicians. No wonder Britishers ruled us. They are there for the power, not to do selfless service. The earlier we realize it the better.
An excellent piece of article! It's an one woman government in West Bengal. The ground reality is that the people of Bengal had high expectations when she trounced the Reds; but to their great despair nothing has changed in the state except for the colour from Red to Green. Mamata's maverick actions with rallies and rollbacks would pave the way for the return of Reds who are watching her actions with much glee.
While respecting Mamta for her simple living and commitment to improve her state, I do feel, power given has corrupted her mind a lot; her minister in Centre prepared budget with inputs from heads of depts to improve lot of Railways; for long fares kept constant, which is unfair to the organisation; yes inflation takes its toll of poor in all ways; why exempt the travel; you already have many many schemed to help deserving (most of this misused abused by selfish folks who supervise true) - Coalition compulsions made even the PM compromise; most unfair and unethical step resorted to by the Trinamool Party using its strength; SAD indeed; Mamta is not just Chief Minister but acted like Chief Monster beheading the honest sincere party member and Congress succumbed to it; V V Bad
Mamamta is a rabble rouser. She cannot administrate nor has the
organisational skill to govern and, that too, a bankrupt State. She
has no ideas how to rejuvenate the State she heads as Chief Minister.
She still believes that her model of living in the slum aka Mahatma
Gandhi would fool the common man. It cost the nation a lot to have the
Mahatma to live his lifestyle. TMC workers and supporters need to be
taken care of on priority irrespective of the fact that many of them
do not share her ideals being a bunch of mercenaries changing party
loyalties with the change of electoral fortunes. Funds for them are a
priority whose sources are far from legitimate ! The State comes
later. West Bengal is doomed as it shall remain exactly where the Left
was ejected by the electorate. Those who can move out of the State
shall do so whilst others with no other option shall languish or
perish.
All these writing is good to read but, do these politicians read it? or if they read it do they consider it? I don't think so.
India needs another Chankya. Jai Hind.
Didi is behaving in a petulant way.Such leaders are of little use to the
nation.Congress ,if it wishes people's blessings, has to shed this party
and search for a better ally.Pitiable politics by her indeed.This will
not only undermine development but derail the Congress itself for being
selfish.
The problem lies in the institution of Democracy. When only numbers count intelligence and prudence are relegated to the background. Mamata is at best is a street smart petty politician.Voters of Bengal have catapulted her to an iconic and demi Goddess glow. This boisterous demogogue ruined the Indian Railways . People of Bengal are being systamatically fooled by this lady. To be precise she is unfit to be even a Thasildar.
Mamta cannot act like a Chief Minister because she is trained to be a rebel rouser! For over two decades, she has done nothing except create problems for Governments in the Stete and at the Centre. Suddenly, she is thrust into Chief Ministership and she simply is unable to come to terms! Her election will be a 'one off' and therefore, all non Communist parties must plan for the big day(at least she has helped destroy the hold of the Communists in Bengal). There is very little doubt that several Trivedis from TMC will move to become Independents in the Lok Sabha. TMC will have lost a great opportunity to truly transform Bengal. For all this, let us not blame Mamta because she is only doing what she does best i.e stay in opposition!
I oppose the author's views on many counts. I also want to tell those
who have similar ideas that for you who lead a reasonable life, these
acts may look like populist but certainly all of you are forgetting
that the Govt is For, By and To people. 'People' refer to majority but
not 'you' who have at least the facility to use internet to write
comment here. Many thought that Y.S.Rajasekhar Reddy was populist. But
those who got benefited from his schemes are the reason behind a new
party by Jagan and the majority his party is enjoying in elections
show that the beneficiaries are the 'Majority'. Just for 1 month try
to live the life of poor. Then you will understand the importance of
rollback in rail fares and you can't even dare to write such articles
or such comments. Last but not the least... Increasing Fares, Tariffs,
Taxes is not the only way to meet deficit. The success story of
communication industry with 1paise/sec kind of schemes is the live
example.
It was decesion of people, who wanted change in the state, to bring Trinmool/Didi in power. The decesion they took was becasue of progress of near by states, like Bihar or Orissa, after change of rule. It was thought to be an unpecendent change for good reasons. But the way Didi is handling things and going in to public on issues, testify the saying "Bandar kya jane adarakh ka swad". I agree with the writer, please some body tell her she is chief minister.
In the United states, plenty of cities ,states and small communities are now bankrupt because their leaders preferred to do the popular thing instead of biting the bullet and doing what's necesary to bring in revenues. There's a lesson there for our Indian politicians.
Mamata has swept herself into power amidst a feeling of tremendous euphoria in WB after 34 years of left rule. It is important that she makes the most of the good feeling and implement those policies that will revive the financial health of the state. People will initially resent these moves, but will reap the benefits of a prosperous state when the growth inevitably creates employment.
Ms. Mamata Banerjee has to learn a lot from Ms. Jayalalitha on administration. Immediately after coming back to power topling the DMK, which always relies on populist schemes, Ms. Jayalalitha hiked the Bus fare by an average 50-60% and EB Fares by 30%. She was not frightened nor did she rolled back the prices after a widespread agitations taken up by Opposition and even by its own then ally, DMDK. Many people started realising that for better Governance, the Govt needs money. Govt is not a charity organisation.
You can take mamata out of the slum but not the slum out of mamata. the people of bengal are the losers.
An excellent article, both in semantics and in content. However the reports of infighting in the party in my opinion are far more serious than what has been mentioned here. Infighting in a party that will have to face the humbled and once disciplined Reds in 2-3 years is a portent of doom. Her ever shrill conspiracy theories seem increasingly far fetched seeing that her party is in power now, and with the sort of arrogant behavior the Reds maintained in their last years in office, I and most like-minded voters fail to see how that party that had the wind knocked out of them can be a credible villain as Didi would have us believe. It may be that like the BJP she has allied herself to numerous strongmen whom she cannot control now. She is continuing the tradition of Buddha and Biman of undermining the credibility and respect of the CMO and the Party President. She may prove worse than the Reds who at least had sensible people to temper the hotheads. Who will temper her?
My comments are as follows: (1) It is unfortunate but true : Ms Mamata Banerjee obviously does not still realize that she is a chief minister of West Bengal and is not an opposition leader. Sooner she wakes up to this reality, better it would be for her State and the country. (2) As regards the railways, if she has some good ideas about running the railways without improving the finances of the Indian Railways, she should share those with others. (3) Her opposition to a rail fare hike, first in nine years, is neither a wise decision nor it is in the interest of aam adami, as she claims it to be.
Mamta has done a serious blunder in rolling back the railway prices and replacing the minister. After a long gap of nine years, someone come-up with a reasonable efforts to clean the Railways but that was ridiculously stopped by Mamta and spineless UPA. Big loss to the nation.
She has got nothing to prove after dethroning the left but still she feels that she has to keep making the right noises to be in the good books of the people.May be she would be better off if she silently goes about doing her work
Mamatadi is roughly Bengal's version of Uma Bharti. All she does is to gather populist favor, but doesn't know what for. Definitely not the kind of leader Bengal needs right now. And while her own state suffers under her mismanagement, she rattles the chains right up to the Central Govt. She should take a lesson from Nitish Kumar and let actions and welfare of her own people, speak louder than her weak and fake promises.
very nice article...i agree with u smita but i don't see anything stopping mamta di as of now....ultimately she'll put the entire blame on the center for not providing them with economic bailouts to hide her ineffective governance and inability to generate funds in-spite of the vast opportunities that exists...
I thank the writer, Ms Smita Gupta, for proving that Mamata Banerjee is the only popular leader who has not forgotten the promises made to the people at the time of election, and who wants to bring about the changes in administration's attitude from pro-rich to pro-poor. I hope Mamata Banerjee will take initiative to change all those Pre-independence laws which gave the bureaucracy discretionary powers to take anti-people and pro-british empire actions but now are being used to take anti-people and pro corrupt politicians and businessmen actions.
Truly someone need to tell Hon. Mamta Banerjee that she is the chief minister of WB. One cannot keep the country into ransom for petty political gains. We need to progress and march forward. Today people are not voting emotionally. UP must be a warning signal to all the Chief-ministers. People voted sensibly and that will continue. Thank you Hindu for bringing out such an article.
Smita Gupta has clearly expressed the agony of most of the Indians about the attitude of Mamata. The 19 MPs of TMC started dictating the economy of our Country and the future of more than 100 Crore people. She is exercising such an authority on the policies of Central Government as if she has got an absolute majority of 275 MPs in Parliment. Will she start realising that she is THE Chief Minister of a large and intellectual state of Bengal?
The problem with democracy is that majority rules, right or wrong! A difficult decision will always be opposed by majority of population, as most of us are not education enough to see and evaluate a decision in a long run. Expenditure is constant and it's gonna come from public money, so even if everyone thinks that keeping the prices lower is a good option, they gonna pay for it somewhere else.
Populist politicians like Mamata Banaerjee will keep ruling the mass of India unless we are educated enough to understand the economy and politics. As arrogant as it sounds, the most unfortunate thing about democracy is that every one have equal voting rights; person who sells the vote for hooch and chicken and person who is a PhD.
The UPA would trample her and Bengal given a chance - just like they did
to the Late YS Rajsekhar Reddy's cabinet in Andhra Pradesh. YSR came to
power with an incredible 33 MP seats from AP. But how many were given
ministries ? 4. How much more budget was allocated to the state over and
above other states ? zero. We need Mamatas to counter the plague that is
UPA at the center. It's not an even playing field to abide by rules -
not anymore. Kudos to Mamata Di.
Bluff and bluster cannot pull wool over the eyes of people for long without solid
achievements on the growth and development of a stagnant economy. If she can use her
fiery and rabble rousing persona into energizing the state apparatus to perform, that will be a positive.
nicely written.. mamata didi needs to watch out her way.. because yeh janta hai yeh sab janti hai... people see everything, the way she has pressurized the UPA govt, will surely not benefit UPA but will hurt mamata didi's larger than life image..
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