Nandigram part II

The otherwise dormant and boring political scenario in West Bengal is enlivened by a TMC minister and a political heavyweight, Suvendu Adhikari. The scenario is a repeat of a ‘she likes me, and she likes me not Daisy petal game’ that the former Bidhannagar Mayor and TMC MLA, Sabyasachi Dutta played and kept everyone guessing. Finally, Dutta defected to BJP. The difference between Suvendu Adhikari and Dutta is, Adhikari is more powerful, with a much wider outreach and can cause more damage to the party if he decides to leave the TMC party.

Mamata’s TMC came into being from two principal actions, opposing the farmland acquisition in Nandigram for industry and opposing Tata motors in Singur. The Adhikari family, Sisir and his two sons Suvendu and Dibyendu, had a stellar role in the Nandigram movement, which eventually helped TMC to win the elections.

The old-timers resent the imposition of Mamata’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, from the top into the party hierarchy. He has become virtually the number two and is calling the shots. The disgruntled leaders found no options against the invincibility of Mamata Banerjee. Such senior leaders had no option but to accept the reality grudgingly and stay on. Mukul Roy, the right-hand man of Didi and one of the founders of the party, chose to quit TMC, primarily for this reason. The second reason might be the importance of PK, the poll strategist and advisor’s role in the policy-making of TMC party.

Bengal is neither north India nor Karnataka, where inducements can ensure political defections. The scenario could be where to defect? Congress and the left were bundled off by Didi and stayed quiet, with periodical whining on issues to keep their presence alive. The 2019 Lok Sabha polls changed all these as BJP became a visible and dominant force, alternative to TMC in West Bengal, winning 18 seats. Certainly, they could not be dismissed as an ‘alien’ party of outsiders any longer.

The crescendo of the BJP’s poll rhetoric was, many legislators are waiting in queue to join BJP, immediately after the elections and their party’s win. Nothing happened to match their claims. But I guess, Mukul Roy worked his way quietly and consistently within the rank and file of the TMC, which he knew like the back of his hand. Engineering defections could be credited to him.

In a counter move, the TMC is trying to re-convert the defected party leaders back into its fold. A few, though insignificant, have gone back to the TMC. Curious was the case of the former KMC Mayor, Sovan Chattopadhyay, who was see-sawing between BJP and the TMC, even after formally joining the saffron party. Though he has finally stayed with his new ally, the BJP, he is refrigerated by the BJP for the moment.

Suvendu has urged all like-minded leaders to join him in a significant rally tomorrow at Murshidabad, away from his Nandigram, and the citadel of the State Congress Chief, Adhir Choudhury. Posters depict his defiance. Suvendu is pushing the leadership to react, and the indomitable TMC seems in disarray. Suvendu might float a new secular front, and pull the disgruntled cadres from the TMC, Congress and the left to fight against the BJP.

I would be watching with interest, the developments from Nandigram, which could change the political scenario of West Bengal.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix