West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is planning to emulate her reign of fear in New Delhi to set herself up as the face of the opposition. In the ongoing Monsoon session of the parliament, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) hooligans masquerading as leaders stalled the proceedings over the Pegasus snooping row, only to be joined by Congress and other opposition parties later. The MPs tore papers related to the business of the House and threw them at the officers’ table and the Speaker’s chair.
However, the clamours didn’t stop here as the proceedings were disturbed with ‘Khela Hobe’ slogans. The ‘Khela Hobe’ (game on) term was used by the TMC during Assembly Elections to intimate the opposition (BJP) in West Bengal. After the adjournment of the proceedings, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur addressed the media alleging Congress and TMC MPs of trying to not let the Parliament function.
Thakur said, “Congress & TMC MPs tried not to let Parliament function today. They can register their protest but that too has a limit. They threw papers on Speaker, ministers & even at media gallery & showed placards. Why is Opposition running away from discussions?”
Congress&TMC MPs tried not to let Parliament function today. They can register their protest but that too has a limit. They threw papers on Speaker, ministers & even at media gallery & showed placards. Why is Opposition running away from discussions?: Union Minister Anurag Thakur pic.twitter.com/02XkNLD7NP
— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2021
Reported by TFI, Mamata Banerjee had formally institutionalised her bloodlust poll slogan ‘Khela Hobe’ as ‘Khela Hobe Diwas’ in the state calendar. The selection of the date for starting her campaign against BJP in several states has raised eyebrows, as it happens to be the exact same day when Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah of the Muslim League had launched the horrific “Direct Action Day” against Hindus back in 1946.
On 16th August, the All India Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah sounded a battle cry “either a divided India or a destroyed India”. After this, violent clashes erupted between Hindus and Muslims which resulted in thousands of deaths in Calcutta. The violence spread across the country, reports of riots came from Noakhali, Bihar, United Provinces (modern Uttar Pradesh), Punjab, and the North-Western Frontier Province.
Mamata, who is in Delhi and courting the left-liberal media institutions and lobbying for her political future remarked that ‘Khela Hobe’ will be used across the country. She said, “Poore desh mein khela hoga (The game will be played across the country).”
When Mamata steers opposition unity between Hacks 💃 with @sunetrac @sreenivasanjain , the oldy goldies us pic.twitter.com/YwXk7bOLxU
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) July 28, 2021
Similarly, tearing papers in the parliament appears to be a pre-requisite for any TMC MP. Last week on Friday, Shantanu Sen was suspended for the entire Monsoon Session of Rajya Sabha due to his unruly conduct of snatching papers from the IT Minister. Reportedly, Sen had snatched a copy of IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav’s statement on the Pegasus espionage case and tore it to the Chairman’s chair.
Against this conduct of Shantanu Sen, a resolution was moved by the Parliamentary Minister in the Rajya Sabha, which was passed and only after that the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Venkaiah Naidu, suspended the TMC MP from the rest of the sessions.
The telltale signs are there that Mamata is trying to take her strategy of violence, bloodshed and tone-deaf slogans to the national stage. She desperately wants to wield the power as the face of the opposition. If the opposition is to coalesce together, it will have Mamata’s philosophy of ‘burn India before the 2024 elections.’