Amit Pandey
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee faces a challenge to her image as a champion of the oppressed in the wake of allegations of sexual violence by her party leaders. The growing evidence of the systematic way women in West Bentringal’s Sandeshkhali region were brutalized and converted into objects of sexual gratification by local bosses of the ruling All India Trinamul Congress has shocked the country. Although the quantum of outrage has been tempered by the political polarisation accompanying the onset of a big election, there is, however, a recognition that the culture of violence that sets the tone of politics in West Bengal is scaling new heights. After all, it must count for something when the governor of the state has this to say after visiting the place and meeting many of the women victims of political bestiality:
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal and the leader of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), has been hailed as a revolutionary figure in Indian politics. She rose from humble beginnings in a lower-middle-class household to become a significant force in the national arena. She founded the TMC in 1998 and became West Bengal’s first female chief minister in 2011, ending the 34-year rule of the Left Front.
Banerjee’s political career has been marked by her fierce opposition to the policies of the Left Front, especially on the issues of land acquisition and industrialization. She led several agitations against the displacement of farmers and tribals by the government and private companies, most notably in Singur and Nandigram. She coined the slogan “Maa Mati Manush” (Mother, Land, and People) to mobilize the masses against the perceived injustice and corruption of the Left regime. She also championed the cause of minorities, women, and the poor, and promised to bring about “poriborton” (change) in the state.
However, Banerjee’s image as a crusader for the oppressed has come under scrutiny in the wake of the Sandeshkhali incident, where women have alleged that they were sexually assaulted by TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his associates. Sheikh is also accused of land grabbing and attacking the Enforcement Directorate officials who were raiding his premises in connection with a ration scam. The incident has sparked protests by the women and the opposition parties, who have demanded Sheikh’s arrest and Banerjee’s resignation.
Banerjee has responded by saying that she will not tolerate any injustice and that the law will take its course. She has also accused the BJP, the main opposition party in the state, of trying to create unrest and disrupt the peace in the state. She has claimed that the Sandeshkhali incident is a conspiracy by the RSS, the ideological mentor of the BJP, to tarnish her image and weaken her party.
The Sandeshkhali incident poses a serious challenge to Banerjee’s political legacy and credibility. It remains to be seen how she will handle the situation and restore the confidence of the people in her leadership. The incident also has implications for the upcoming assembly elections in 2024, where Banerjee will face a tough battle against the BJP, which has emerged as a formidable force in the state. Banerjee will have to prove that she is still the true representative of the “Maa Mati Manush” of West Bengal.
Mamata Banerjee, the founder and leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has had a remarkable journey in Indian politics, marked by her shifting alliances with different parties at different times. She started her career as a Congress leader and became a minister in the Narasimha Rao government in 1991. However, she parted ways with the Congress in 1998 and formed the TMC, which joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the same year. She became the railway minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1999 but resigned in 2001 over the Tehelka scam. She rejoined the NDA in 2003 and became the coal and mines minister, but quit again in 2006 over the Singur land acquisition issue.
Banerjee’s alliance with the BJP ended in 2009 when she joined the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and became the railway minister again. She played a key role in the UPA’s victory in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, winning 19 seats out of 42 in West Bengal. She also demanded and got some vital ministries in the UPA government, such as railways, shipping, and human resource development. However, she left the UPA in 2012 over the issue of FDI in retail and diesel price hikes. She then focused on her state politics and became the chief minister of West Bengal in 2011, ending the 34-year rule of the Left Front. She has since been re-elected twice, in 2016 and 2021, and has emerged as one of the most powerful regional leaders in the country.
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal and the leader of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), has been known for her efforts to reach out to various sections of society, especially the intellectuals, the tribals and the Hindi-speaking population. She has often contrasted her approach with that of the Left parties, which she accused of neglecting the intellectuals of Bengal and favoring only those who supported the communist ideology of Russia and Vietnam. She has also claimed that the Left parties had failed to address the issues of the tribals and the Hindi-speaking people, who faced discrimination and violence in the state.
To counter the Left’s influence, Mamata Banerjee has tried to cultivate the support of the intellectuals by honoring and recognizing their contributions to the fields of literature, art, culture, education, and social service. She has also given prominence to some of the prominent personalities from the tribal and Hindi-speaking communities in her party and government. For instance, she has praised the works of Mahasweta Devi, Subho Prasanna, Arpita Mitra, Sugata Bose, and Krishna Bose, who have worked for the upliftment of the tribals and the minorities. She has also appointed Bratya Basu, a theatre artist, as the education minister and fielded candidates from the Hindi-speaking belt in the legislative assembly, the Rajya Sabha, and the Lok Sabha. These moves have helped her to create an image of an inclusive and progressive leader, who respects the diversity and the aspirations of the people of Bengal.
Mamata Banerjee has been successful in attracting prominent leaders from other parties to join her TMC. For example, Manas Bhunia, a former state Congress president, Muzaffar Khan, a former ad Rahul Chakraborty, a former BJP leader, and Humayun Kabir, a former Congress legislator all switched to TMC in recent year. She has also forged alliances with some left parties, such as the RSP and the Forward Bloc, to counter the BJP’s rise in the state. However, some of her party members, such as Arabul Islam, Anubrata Mondal, and Sheikh Sahanawaz, have been accused of criminal activities and violence, and Banerjee has often defended them from legal action. This has raised questions about her ability to control her party and uphold the rule of law.
In my view, Mamata Banerjee’s strategy of wooing the intellectuals, the tribals, and the Hindi-speaking people has been successful in expanding her base and consolidating her power in the state. She has also managed to counter the challenge posed by the BJP, which has tried to appeal to the same sections of society by projecting itself as a pro-Hindu and pro-development party. However, Mamata Banerjee’s outreach has also faced some criticism and backlash from some of her supporters and the opposition parties, who have accused her of being opportunistic, hypocritical, and inconsistent in her stance. They have pointed out that she has changed her tone and attitude towards the Hindi language and the Hindi-speaking people over time, depending on the political situation. They have also alleged that she has not done enough to protect the rights and interests of the intellectuals, the tribals, and the Hindi-speaking people and that she has only used them as vote banks. They have also questioned her sincerity and commitment to the cause of Bengal and its culture.
