States: West Bengal; Nuisance Value

India Today
November 9,1998

WEST BENGAL
Nuisance Value

In the past Mamata's antics put the Marxists on the defensive. This time it bombed.

By Udayan Namboodiri

When Marxist goons assaulted Mamata Banerjee in August 1990 they made her a Bengali Joan of Arc. Though she had burst into the limelight five years before that as the unknown Congress woman who had defeated Somnath Chatterjee in Jadavpore, the incident rescued her from disappearing into political wilderness after she had failed to retain the seat in 1989. Since then, whenever inertia has gripped West Bengal politics, the firebrand Trinamool Congress (TC) chief has sought to liven things up by getting into skirmishes with the state's Marxist Government. Last weekend when the police went to evict squatters from a state-controlled property in south Calcutta, Mamata was there -- in the centre of action.

The Bedi Bhavan on Southern Avenue is home to 70 families who the court decreed had to leave. But things got out of control when Mamata and her supporters reached the spot. She demanded a "discussion" between the police and the squatters. A big altercation followed that led to grappling and fisticuffs. Mamata alleges she was beaten up and the police chief had even "bitten" her arm and torn her sari.

The matter did not end there. Rumours spread like wildfire that Mamata had been killed by the police. Trains were blocked in distant Burdwan and Midnapore. Angry TC and BJP supporters blocked national highways. It was a Sunday of chaos as vehicles were stoned and TC supporters tried to loot shops. The police maintained that Mamata had only been stopped by uniformed women while resisting the eviction. State Police Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya accused her of whipping passions based on falsehood. Sporting a bandage on her arm where she had been "bitten", Mamata faced TV cameras later, claiming she had been "assaulted". She shot off messages to Union Home Minister L.K. Advani and declared there would be hell for the Jyoti Basu Government in the days to come.

Both the parties took to the streets, with rallies and counter rallies. While the Marxists organised a demonstration to express "shame" at Mamata's actions, the TC-BJP alliance observed October 27 as a protest day. But the protest turned out to be a damp squib as Mamata decided to stay at home. Reason: she was in a "tumultuous state of mind". With byelections for three assembly seats -- Baruipur, Nandanpur and Mayureswar -- scheduled for November the allies were counting on the exercise for general reinvigoration after a dull political season. The Marxists swiftly converted an initially defensive position into one that resulted in acute embarrassment for Mamata. Said Chief Minister Basu: "People have tired of her tantrums."

His confidence stems from the fact that in recent months Mamata has failed to convince the A.B. Vajpayee Government at the Centre that there is utter chaos in West Bengal. Seven months after elections, she has succeeded in getting only a middle-level Central delegation to check out her claim. Pushed to a corner, Mamata seemed to be losing her credibility. An "incident" -- the fourth since 1990 -- was what she needed to re-establish her position. Says her former mentor, state Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee: "The whole incident carried her signature. It was also pre-planned. Otherwise how could roads and railway tracks get blocked in distant corners of the state within minutes?" Good question, but Mamata doesn't have any answers this time.

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