Bangla Khela!

The first phase of the election is still a week away, but the pitch is increasingly incendiary, both the TMC and the BJP, the two primary players accusing each other. Mamata Banerjee seems to have miss-timed the ‘alleged attack’ on her leg, confined to a wheelchair. She cannot suddenly resume her famous padayatras, walks to counter the opposition rallies. 

A few things seem strikingly unlike the indomitable spirit of Mamata Banerjee, who has bitten the Nandigram contest challenge.  Her loss could throw her party into disarray as her lieutenants firmly believe in the routing of BJP in this Assembly polls and Didi as the future leader of the nation. Only if my bed were the magic carpet, I would be Alladin flying around in the same!

Be that as it may, the pressure seems telling on a wheeled-around Didi. The sympathetic imagery seems not so effective, as I check with the crowds. Her take on the Election Commission is plain crass. She is not merely a politician but also the Chief Minister, heading the State and is a constitutional authority. By undermining the EC, she is endangering the democracy, and by making believe that the EC is a puppet of the Home Minister and the BJP, she is revealing her weakness. 

Today, Mamata sought the Congress supporters and the CPM supporters to vote for her if the BJP has to be kept out of power. Why, if I may ask? They have ambitious youth who think Mamata has done damage to the State, which requires remedies. The ISF allying with the Congress and the CPM, it seems, must be causing fear of losing a substantial chunk of the minority votes.

The ‘Khela hobe’ has been deftly tweaked by an intelligent Modi into ‘Khela Sesh hobe,’ meaning the game will end and ‘Vikas hobe,’ — the progress will take place. The enforcement Directorate summoning many bureaucrats and police officers on several scams Metro Dairy, Coal scam, Narada sting and Sarada chit fund scam could be ill-timed. The harsh steps to malign the State could result from Mamata’s belligerent attitude and in her democratic attempt to hold on to her reign.

Metro Dairy’s sale is nothing to feel proud, in a State whose head has been, is and will forever be a vocal critic of privatization. Jalan’s Keventer’s Agro was handed over 47% of the shares at Rs. 84.5 crores, at a much lower than market value. Of this, 10% of the shares were sold in the same year by Keventer’s to their Singapore account for Rs.170 crores, making the Government’s sell of valued at Rs.800 crores.  The ED had summoned many officers related to the deal in June 2020.

Trying to win the voters’ sympathy and crying wolf does not carry the State towards prosperity which has many woes, unemployment leading the list. She should not continue with her make-believe ‘we are the best,’ or ‘they are the worst.’ I think she cannot do any better than her past ten years of performance, trying to fight in the name of federalism and bringing the State to further freefall. She must take a sabbatical for the time being.

If the BJP is a bad substitute, which is a better substitute, the Congress-CPM-ISF combine?

The voters must decide fairly. NOTA is no answer either!

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix