Source: File Photos, Internet
Kolkata 9 JAN: Reawakening the age old Modi Didi understanding ,and much to everyone’s surprise, given her vehement protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) and NRC, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee boycotted an anti-CAA, NRC conclave called by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on 13 January.
On Thursday, the Trinamool Congress turned down a proposal put forward by the CPI(M) and the Congress in the State Assembly for an all-party resolution against the CAA. The Kerala Assembly has already adopted an all-party resolution against the CAA.
The chief minister said that she has decided to skip the meeting of the Opposition parties after Left and the Congress resorted to violence in West Bengal during the bandh called on 8 January.
Banerjee said: “We were the first to start a movement against the CAA and the NRC. We have already continued our protest and we will continue alone on the path. What Left-Congress are doing in the name of CAA and NRC is not a movement but vandalism.”
After the House passed a special resolution on Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill 2018, Miss Banerjee said: “You do not need to tell me how to fight the CAA,” shouting above the uproar of Left and Congress as they claimed that the TMC deliberately turned down the all-party resolution.
The decision of Miss Banerjee has been criticised by both the Left and the Congress parties who claimed that the bonhomie between the TMC and the BJP is clear, and she cited the bandh as just an excuse to cover that up.
Abdul Mannan, Congress leader, questioned the Assembly on Thursday: “What prompted her not to attend the conclave called by our party president Sonia Gandhi? By not attending the meeting called by all Opposition parties she is giving way to the BJP in Bengal. She is playing double standards. This is a lame excuse that she has put forward to avoid the meeting of the Opposition parties on the CAA. The bandh called yesterday was successful as people have supported our bandh. She is frightened with the way people have supported the cause and is unnecessarily blaming us for instigating violence during the bandh. There was no major violence in West Bengal on Wednesday due to bandh except at Sujapur in Malda. In Sujapur too we have found in the video that police themselves are torching vehicle. The state government has already ordered an inquiry into that.”
On the other hand, another CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said: “The bonhomie between Modi and Didi has once again come to the light with her not attending the meeting of all Opposition parties called by Sonia Gandhi on 13 January. This further indicates that she herself is making way for the rise of the BJP in Bengal and her dichotomy is clear among the people of the state.”
Dilip Ghosh, state BJP president, said: “It is clear that Banerjee wants to occupy the center-stage on CAA and that is why she did not join the meeting in New Delhi. This will help us as the Opposition parties’ lack of unity will benefit the BJP to gain more ground in Bengal.”
What political analysts are saying
Political analysts, however, are of the opinion that the decision to not attend the meeting of all Opposition parties on CAA is a well-calculated political move. It’s a clear political strategy of going alone. Mamata Banerjee wants to occupy the centre-stage. She knows it very well that the Congress or the Left parties in Delhi have more strength and she does not want to be dwarfed by going along with them as she always says that she was the first to raise the issue of CAA and NRC. She also knows that whatever “violence” she is referring to were not under the direction of Central leadership of Congress or Left parties. She just wants to use this as an excuse and occupy the central space as anti-BJP leader. Any joint campaign dilutes her stand and credit and divides her anti-BJP votes.
Partha Pratim Ghosh, a senior political analyst and Professor of Jadavpur University said: “Banerjee is wary of the rise of both Left and Congress in Bengal and as a result to occupy the central stage as a sole leader who is fighting against the CAA she did not join the meeting of all the Opposition parties against the CAA.”
Another section of political analysts are of the opinion that Banerjee has made a well calculative move and she does not want that her votes get divided between Left and Congress and both Left and Congress emerged as a strong alternative political force other than TMC and BJP and that is why she chose not to attend the meeting scheduled on 13 January at New Delhi.
What prompted the Left leaders to claim Didi-Modi bonhomie?
After the Modi government came to power for the second term in May, chief minister Mamata Banerjee went to meet Modi on September 19, 2019. Although Banerjee claimed that she was meeting the Prime Minister to discuss various issues concerning her state, Opposition parties claimed that it was a last attempt to save former police commissioner Rajeev Kumar. The CBI has issued multiple notices to Kumar since May 2, 2019 asking him to appear before it for questioning as a witness to the Saradha chit fund scam. When the chief minister met Modi on September 19, Kumar failed to get relief from a district and sessions court in West Bengal’s Barasat on anticipatory bail application. It may be mentioned that Mamata Banerjee had come out in Kumar’s defence and also held a sit –in against the Centre’s move.
On many occasions although chief minister vehemently attacked the BJP over various polices that they undertook including demonetisation, CAA, GST, but later when the BJP used the CBI to further the investigation process of Saradha scam, it led Banerjee to personally meet with Modi to sort out the issue.