Skip to main content

Why anti-Mamata agitations, movements by BJP, Congress, CPM lack any strength

By Harasankar Adhikari 

Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) Supremo and the Chief Minister of West Bengal, is a leader of gossip, debate, and criticism. She is among the very few leaders in India’s political history who have had no family background in politics, and she founded a separate political party and came to power in West Bengal.
The most important question in this democracy is whether she is an exceptionally exceptional leader or a leader without merit. She has every right to secure her captive vote bank. At least, poll results showed many times her party’s victory with an absolute majority in the last three assembly polls in West Bengal.
She is the only leader who formed her own party, and she is in power after defeating the 34-year-old Left Front within a decade. The majority of the population supports her and her party in spite of anti-encumbrance measures and continuous publicity (media trail and attack by the opposition). Now her government and her party are facing threats for rampant corruption and various allegations of money laundering and so forth. But no mass agitation or movement at large is here. It indicates that all malpractices are the politics of the anti-TMC. Why is it so?
Mamata has cleverly assessed and applied political diplomacy among the people of West Bengal. She has observed and studied the mental state of the people in Bengal, especially during the 34 years of Left rule. She investigated what the people of West Bengal desired in exchange for their vote, as well as the value of their vote. People have very general allegations about why they would vote.
Is it to make the leaders rich and wealthy? Whether they have no chance to change or are what they were or would be, She also assessed that a large number of political leaders (from the grassroots to the upper houses) were deprived of the minimum advantages for a better living standard. She tactically welcomes them all and integrates them under an umbrella named TMC. As a result, her agenda or manifesto was intended for both party leaders and the general public. Her message is that if they vote for her, they will benefit.
She traps voters by offering various packages of benefits, i.e Lakshmi Bhandar, Kanyashree, Rupashree, Sabuj Sathi
Accordingly, she traps voters by offering various packages of benefits, i.e Lakshmi Bhandar, Kanyashree, Rupashree, Sabuj Sathi, and so forth, according to the age, sex, economy, social background, and race of the voters. At the same time, she has no strict restriction on her party leaders' ability to raise funds deliberately. Thus, she balances all voters and her followers, who vote for her party and who organise the party and poll, respectively.
Her party leaders from different hierarchies, even elected representatives, are under trial for corruption for the selling of school jobs, taking bribes from the beneficiaries of different schemes, the coal scam, cow smuggling, etc. But Mamata Banerjee is not treating it as an obstacle to her political future. She is on the way. She ushers in different populist schemes when the government has a loan of Rs 6 lakh crore.
Agitation and movement against her government are one-sided among some of the victims and by the BJP, Congress, and CPM, which have no power to form a mass movement. The common people of West Bengal are used to gossip in groups. But they are not interested in taking action against it. The majority of them state that they are receiving benefits from the government that they were not previously receiving, and that there is no guarantee that they will continue to receive them if they oppose it. So, it is better to be silent.
There is reason to wonder: Has she broken the spine of the Bengalees as part of her great diplomacy in politics?

Comments

TRENDING

Budget for 2018-19: Ahmedabad authorities "regularly" under-spend allocation

By Mahender Jethmalani* The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC's) General Body (Municipal Board) recently passed the AMC’s annual budget estimates of Rs 6,990 crore for 2018-19. AMC’s revenue expenditure for the next financial year is Rs 3,500 crore and development budget (capital budget) is Rs 3,490 crore.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu.  He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Licy Bharucha’s pilgrimage into the lives of India’s freedom fighters

By Moin Qazi* Book Review: “Oral History of Indian Freedom Movement”, by Dr Licy Bharucha; Pp240; Rs 300; Published by National Museum of Indian Freedom Movement The Congress has won political freedom, but it has yet to win economic freedom, social and moral freedom. These freedoms are harder than the political, if only because they are constructive, less exciting and not spectacular. — Mahatma Gandhi The opening quote of the book by Mahatma Gandhi sums up the true objective of India’s freedom struggle. It also in essence speaks for the multitudes of brave and courageous individuals who aspired to get themselves jailed for the cause of the country’s freedom. A jail term was a strong testimony and credential of patriotism for them. The book has been written by Dr Licy Bharucha, an academically trained political scientist and a scholar of peace studies and Gandhian studies, who was closely associated throughout her life with those who made the struggle for India’s independence the primar...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

Sardar Patel was on Nathuram Godse's hit list: Noted Marathi writer Sadanand More

Sadanand More (right) By  A  Representative In a surprise revelation, well-known Gujarati journalist Hari Desai has claimed that Nathuram Godse did not just kill Mahatma Gandhi, but also intended to kill Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Citing a voluminous book authored by Sadanand More, “Lokmanya to Mahatma”, Volume II, translated from Marathi into English last year, Desai says, nowadays, there is a lot of talk about conspiracy to kill Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, but little is known about how the Sardar was also targeted.

UP tribal woman human rights defender Sokalo released on bail

By  A  Representative After almost five months in jail, Adivasi human rights defender and forest worker Sokalo Gond has been finally released on bail.Despite being granted bail on October 4, technical and procedural issues kept Sokalo behind bars until November 1. The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and the All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP), which are backing Sokalo, called it a "major victory." Sokalo's release follows the earlier releases of Kismatiya and Sukhdev Gond in September. "All three forest workers and human rights defenders were illegally incarcerated under false charges, in what is the State's way of punishing those who are active in their fight for the proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act (2006)", said a CJP statement.

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat*  As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023. The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.