Khela Hobe 2.0: Mamata Banerjee faces reinvigorated BJP in Bengal as she eyes top job in Delhi

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. ANI

TV channels and reporters overlaying the political violence in West Bengal this week have been calling it “unprecedented”. A lot of them are younger journalists who might not have seen or bear in mind the turbulent years of the seventies and eighties to know this was only a replay of the previous Left and Trinamool street-fighting scenes of that period. Nevertheless, one had not seen such an aggressive type of the Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP) in Bengal earlier than this. Additionally, outstanding was the “excessive” response of the state police in the usage of bolstered barricades, water-cannons, tear-gas, and lathi-charge often reserved for countering agitations of a a lot bigger scale. The police’s actions, which couldn’t have occurred with no ‘go forward’ nod from the very best ranges of the federal government, betrayed a degree of nervousness within the state administration.

There have been allegations from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in regards to the BJP mobilising individuals from the neighbouring states of Jharkhand and Bihar to participate within the protests as its personal cadre-base in West Bengal was restricted. On the similar time, some senior Bengali journalists and video clips on social media channels averred claims of considerable native participation. The senior management of state BJP displayed a united entrance. Amongst them, chief of Opposition within the state Meeting, Suvendu Adhikari, the social gathering’s state president Dr Sukanta Manjumdar and Member of Parliament Locket Chatterjee, nationwide vice chairman and MP Dilip Ghosh have been on the front-front. There have been a number of layers of back-up in order that even after the primary line was taken into preventive custody there was no let-up within the demonstrations.

(File) Suvendu Adhikari, who was earlier a prime Trinamool Congress chief, was amongst these detained by the police through the march. Picture courtesy News18 Bengali

However the police motion, response of Mamata Banerjee and the social gathering has been moderately muted. There was some try to pin the blame on the BJP with footage of agitators attacking policemen. Abhishek Banerjee, the nationwide normal secretary of TMC and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, made a controversial gesture hinting that the police exercised restraint by not resorting to firing. Banerjee herself complimented the police for controlling the risky scenario with out taking any excessive measures. A TMC Member of Parliament on a TV present drew comparisons with the Yogi Adityanath authorities’s use of bulldozers to raze properties of rioters in Uttar Pradesh to keep off criticisms in regards to the West Bengal police. However past that, Mamata Banerjee and her social gathering functionaries didn’t show her attribute aggression in direction of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah after any such altercation with the BJP. This defensiveness in her perspective is tough to overlook.

The ostensible excuse for the BJP’s present of power was the allegation of corruption towards numerous TMC leaders and the scams which were unearthed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) implicating social gathering leaders Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mandal. Of larger concern has been the continued investigations towards Abhishek Banerjee and his spouse, that are too near dwelling for Banerjee’s consolation. Although Partha Chatterjee has been suspended from the social gathering, Mamata Banerjee got here out with a really sturdy assertion in assist of Anubrata (aka Keshto) bordering on defying the remit of investigating companies.

Nevertheless, political posturing and bravado aside there’s a palpable sense of unease amongst her senior colleagues within the social gathering. After the arrests of Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondal a message has registered among the many TMC honchos that none are ‘untouchable’ for the ED and CBI any longer. Mamata Banerjee has expressed apprehensions of her personal arrest and exhorted her followers to return out on the streets in such an eventuality. Although which may be an train in portray a doomsday situation to arouse public sympathy, there may be additionally a real concern in regards to the flip the investigations might take if any of the accused attempt to implicate her or her nephew within the alleged scams. In addition to, there may be additionally a disaster of public credibility. It’s troublesome to brush apart footage of the money hauls from the house of Partha Chatterjee’s affiliate Arpita Chatterjee. Equally, Anubrata Mandal’s status as a history-sheeter precedes his arrest. Subsequently, defending them could be to defend the indefensible.

Second, in an attention-grabbing improvement after the 2021 polls, the CPM (Communist Occasion of India – Marxist) has been exhibiting indicators of revival. Underneath the brand new management of Md Salim, it has been attempting to chip away the anti-TMC constituency vacated and people who had turned in direction of the BJP however really feel let down by the meltdown of its state unit after the electoral setback. This isn’t excellent news for TMC — as a result of a three-way battle and a division within the minority votes would weaken its current dominance. Additionally, the CPI-M being a cadre-based social gathering might be able to construct up a resistance in forthcoming panchayat elections, through which the TMC must battle sturdy anti-incumbency. Dropping its grip within the panchayats would additionally have an effect on its prospects within the Lok Sabha elections of 2024.

The third component of hysteria for Mamata Banerjee is the rise of different contenders within the nationwide Opposition house. After 2021, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal have been billed as the 2 potential challengers of Narendra Modi in 2024. Since then, different stars have emerged within the firmament within the type of Ok Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and not too long ago Nitish Kumar. Trinamool’s debacle in Goa and unsuccessful foray into Tripura has been dampeners within the plans for increasing its nationwide footprint. Banerjee’s try to play a lead function in choosing Opposition candidates for the elections of President and Vice President turned out to be a poor present.

In the meantime, Congress with its Bharat Jodo Yatra has indicated that it’s in no temper to give up its place because the principal Opposition social gathering and is set to make Rahul Gandhi the prima donna in any anti-Modi configuration. This places a examine on Mamata Banerjee’s pan-India ambitions and restricts her primarily to West Bengal.

Does this imply “Khela Hobe – Season 2” has began in Bengal. Doubtless Mamata Banerjee is likely one of the most astute politicians within the nation. Above all, she is a fighter gifted with distinctive political instincts. Nevertheless, this time round she has to play on a bigger enviornment — balancing between defending her dwelling turf whereas transferring the chess items on the nationwide board. As a result of, 2024 could possibly be her “Ebar (now) or By no means” second to bid for the highest job in Delhi.

The creator is a present affairs commentator, marketer, blogger and management coach, who tweets at @SandipGhose. Views expressed are private.

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