The east coast of India, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal are prone to cyclones. Fani was the last cyclone that hit the east coast was on 3rd May with a wind speed of 185 Kms per hour. It primarily affected Odisha and Bangladesh while grazing past West Bengal. Because of the then ensuing Lok Sabha elections 11 Apr-23 May, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, an avowed adversary of PM Modi refused to seek any assistance. She remarked that she would only seek help from a new PM in the new government. Mamata was one of the faces of the opposition for the PM’s post and was behaving as such. Sadly, it did not materialize, and Modi remained the PM.
Mamata avoided meeting the PM and has been brooding ever since, despite her couple of forced meets. She despised BJP, Modi and his home minister Amit Shah, which needs no elaboration. Mamata was one of the strongest and consistent opponents of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens and chose to cross swords with the governor often on the issue.
Covid crisis appeared in between, leading to the declaration of the Disaster Management Act. The Bengal government did all to retain its independence from the feudality of the Central Government and considered most advises as an affront to the federalism Mamata’s Bengal espouses. The initial personal micro-management did win Mamata the public support, but the latter fumbling on mortalities and management of the Covid came under severe criticism. No other state considered it a war between the Centre and the State like the West Bengal did.
Be that as it may, the cyclone Amphan could not have come in any worst season. It ravaged the State, which Mamata knew was profound, and she had to seek assistance from the Centre. The National Disaster Relief Fund is meant for such calamities and seeking funds was normal as the Centre offering this.
The PM responded to Bengal’s plight by flying in, inspecting the affected areas and announcing an immediate package of Rs.1000 crores as aid, besides giving Rs2 lacs to the kin of each of the 80 dead.. The magnitude of the cyclone and the relief work should not be stuck in any ‘us and them.’ Both the PM and the CM must not permit silly manoeuvres by lowly politicians or over-zealous bureaucrats to jettison the concerted efforts required to revive the lives and livelihoods, battered for long by Covid and now by Amphan.
The fact that West Bengal is an important state with top-grade literary and intellectual values, as well as business potential, should be appreciated by others. At the same time, the State must respect the Centre’s overall control of defined areas. The oft-mentioned co-operative federalism cannot be one-sided, and both the Centre and the State must grow to respect each other in the larger interests of the nation.
May the joint management in the aftermath of Amphan become a strong foundation for a stable Bengal-Centre relationship, which has been given a miss by successive governments ever since India attained its independence.
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
