Politics in
Bengali speaking West Bengal is witnessing shrewd games ahead of the State Assembly
polls due in a few months. Common refrain among voters is to retain the incumbent government headed by Trinamool
Congress (TC) chief Mamata Bannerjee,but mind boggling politics in the
place like WB can’t be defined in so
easy terms.
Voters are highly sensitive and enlightened as
well.For every penny spent , they are particular and a recent visit to the
state revealed that they are cut up with shooting prices of eatables –mainly
yellow mustard oil. A state government driver told me that the oil was getting
costly unnecessarily and asked who should
be blamed, and then answering himself –“definitely not Didi(Mamata) but the center
,which,he said, could not check spiraling prices of Arahar dal even now “. He
proudly pointed from the speeding vehicle towards the new building where CM
works and said she was working very hard to bring the state back on rails. Like many others echoed
similar sentiments. Despite such sentiments,undercurrent of politics needs précised
dissection while nets are cast by all stake holders.
It will be her first election as Chief
Minister and her party’s performance in the local polls was fairly good ,giving
an inkling of the public mood.
Congress
which has tasted success in coalition politics in neighboring state of Bihar
recently is keeping its card close to its chest amid speculations that the Grand Old Party (GOP) ,after having a massive
drubbing in the General elections 2014 at the hands of the Narendra Modi led
BJP,may go to either way –joining hands with Mamata or with Left parties.
Former WB
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharcharjee ,at a
rally in Singur,openly asked Congress to join hands with them to throw away
Mamata Rule. CPM polit buro took strong
note of such an offer from public platform and issued a statement that the CPM
will not deviate from its political tactical line adopted at its Vishakhapatnam Congress and it has not called for such a move.
CPM is faced
with a piquant situation so is Congress as
both them are arch rivals in other poll bound state – Kerala.CPM will be firing
all cylinders to de throw Congress ,and if they speak in two languages against
Congress – it will be loser. The same formula of dilemma applies to Congress
too. The import of the political message –whether spoken in Bengali or Malayalam-
will be deciphered in both the states –having higher literacy rates than other
parts of the country. The PT-L adopted unanimously
by the CPM Congress ,say leaders, can
not be violated by any one ,so there can not be an alliance with Congress.
During the
party’s plenum too, some leaders spoke of an alliance with Congress ,but some
of the influential and senior leaders both in the politburo and the central committee
are opposed to any alliance with Congress.
66 year Surya
Kant Misra ,CPM state leader,is quite
enthused to resurrect the outfit and he points of massive rally held
recently in Kolkata during plenum. All
his calculations will depend on the line taken by 92 year old CPM leader V.S Achuthanandan
in Kerala. It is to been seen who will
lead party polls there Pinarayi Vijayan. Tusssel between the two leaders is always topic of discussions
while leaders maintain that the CPM is not a bourgeois party which decides
leader ahead of polls. The Left democratic front (LDF ) is bracing up in Kerala
as there is no confusion of allies but
WB is a tough nut to crack
Congress is
watching the situation from close quarters and is in touch with state unit,
which, according to sources, is not in favor of a truck with TC. Interestingly
, Congress is neither rejecting not accepting left’s offer at this stage,in an obvious bid to use this an handle of bargain of seats
with TC .
The TC in
all possibilities, will not like to take on united opposition of Left parties,
Congress and other players,so interesting days are ahead for nerve breaking
deals.
At a recent swearing
in ceremony of Nitish Kumar led government in Bihar,many saw Congress Vice Presicdent Rahul Gandhi and
Mamata Bannerjee having discussions . Though no details of talks was made
public ,but Mamata’s Visit to Congress
President Sonia Gandhi’s residence on latter’s birth day again added grist to
speculative mills. Ms. Mamata also did not mince words to deplore developments in the National
Herald case last month.
The BJP is
playing its card carefully and is trying to highlight that the state had
suffered a lot during last four decades – 34 years – Misrule of CPM and its allies
and Five years of Mamata who is there since 2011. The BJP had pockted a voite
share of 17 per cent in the Lok Sabha
elections against its eager meagre four cent votes in 2011 assembly
polls. It wants to highlight terror link, unemployment and law and order issues
against the TC rule. Currently in 294 member state WB Assembly,TC has 191 members, BJP one and Congress 35.
In Kerala, Congress has 39 members in 41 member Assembly . BJP, enthused by
seats in local polls,has vitalised its party appartus in the state and made Kummanam Rajasehran (63) , knwon face of RSS and he is RSS pracharak and Hardliner, as the party chief there.
In Kerala, Congress has 39 members in 41 member Assembly . BJP, enthused by
seats in local polls,has vitalised its party appartus in the state and made Kummanam Rajasehran (63) , knwon face of RSS and he is RSS pracharak and Hardliner, as the party chief there.
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