Democracy is an interesting system. It can force the largest party to sit in the opposition while the smaller ones can form the government. This collective government may live for the whole tenure or may end due to disagreement on issues. In most cases, the collective government suffers from disagreement among the parties that join hands to form the government.
Recently, Mamata Banerjee made it clear that she is ready to join hands with the Congress and the Left front to stop Modi in 2019. In fact, she is again repeating the history by joining the UPA camp just like she did during UPA-2.
Mamata Banerjee is a former leader of Congress. Her very roots lie in Congress. Many people might remember that she was with NDA when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. In fact, it was Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who convinced her to join NDA. Before forming the All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC) Party, she was in Congress. During the rule of Narasimha Rao, she was the state minister of “Youth Affairs and Sports”, “Human Resource Development” and “Women and Child Development”. She fought the 2004 Lok Sabha election separately. During the 2009 Lok Sabha election, she formed alliance with Congress to join the UPA. It is rather natural that she is ready to join Congress again.
But why the all-powerful-invincible Mamata is willing to join Congress, which is a spent force? BJP was very weak in West Bengal during the previous years. However, after Modi formed the government with the largest mandate after 1984, BJP’s power has increased significantly in many states. For the first time, BJP formed any government in North-East by getting a clear majority in the Assam assembly election. For the first time, BJP won a seat in Kerala. Similarly, BJP’s vote share increased significantly during the West Bengal assembly election. This was a matter of concern for Mamata Banerjee. Moreover, her party members are regularly interrogated by the CBI regarding the corruption charges and Sarada Chit Fund scam. Mamata Banerjee has strong reasons to hate BJP, especially Modi.
Not only in West Bengal, BJP has been causing discomfort to Mamata Banerjee in Manipur and Tripura too. AITMC is a regional party and apart from Manipur and Tripura, the party doesn’t have any presence outside West Bengal. Due to BJP, her party is facing a crisis in the two North-Eastern states. The only TMC MLA from Manipur has extended his support to BJP after the Manipur assembly election. Six TMC MLAs from Tripura have joined BJP. Literally, BJP has shattered the presence of AITMC outside West Bengal. She can tackle BJP in her state. She can’t tackle BJP outside West Bengal. To strengthen her party in other states, she needs to stop BJP and Congress can prove a great ally in doing so.
It can be understood that Mamata is ready to join the Congress. But why is Mamata Banerjee ready to join hands with the CPM, her arch nemesis? This is how politics works. Before explaining this matter, I must share an incident.
Shahid Diwas or the 21st July Martyr’s Day is an annual mass rally organized by AITMC in memory of 13 Congress workers who were brutally shot dead by the West Bengal police on 21st July 1993. After Mamata Banerjee became the president of the youth wing of Congress in 1992, she raised her voice against the alleged rigging done by CPM during the assembly elections. On 21st July 1993, Mamata Banerjee led a massive rally. The demand was to make voters-ID the only required document which would give transparency in elections. The rally started from Howrah station and proceeded through the Brabourne Road. The plan was to surround the state secretariat, known as the Writer’s Building. When the rally reached the Tea Board Office, the Home Secretary Mr. Manish Gupta ordered the police to stop the rally at any cost. During the chaos, a policeman became badly injured. The police started a lathicharge. When the situation became worse, the police opened fire on the rally. This led to the death of 13 people.
On 21st July rally this year, the people of West Bengal saw what politics is:-
- The Home Secretary, Mr Manish Gupta, who asked the police to stop the rally at any cost on 21st July 1993, was sharing the stage with Mamata Banerjee. He is currently an MLA from TMC.
- The ruling party, which was responsible for the death of 13 Congress supporters, is CPM. Currently, the CPM and the Congress formed alliance during West Bengal assembly election.
- Mamata Banerjee stood on the stage and called for “BJP Quit India” campaign, while the stage was organized to pay tribute to Congress workers who were killed by CPM government.
Mamata Banerjee made it clear that she wants a BJP-free India. To achieve this, she is ready to join hands with Congress and CPM. Though AITMC and CPM are the arch rivals in West Bengal politics, Mamata Banerjee is ready to ally with CPM to stop BJP. This is not the first time when she has given hints about joining hands with CPM. She showed same eagerness in 2014 when she met the state secretary Mr. Biman Bose. During a discussion about complaints of atrocities committed by TMC workers against the CPM supporters, Mamata Banerjee showed concern about the growing numbers of CPM workers who were leaving the party to join the BJP.
Due to the corruption charges and alleged appeasement politics played by Mamata Banerjee, AITMC’s popularity is decreasing in the state. BJP’s growing influence in both the state and the country is causing trouble to Mamata Banerjee. To save her party from further political losses, Mamata is willing to join even her greatest foe from the past. This is a golden lesson in Hypocrisy my dear friends.