Any political smoothie in West Bengal will soon curb grassroots corruption by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) office bearers, who themselves do not deny its ubiquity. “Yes, our people have taken money,” says Prasoon Sarangi, sitting in a dimly lit market in Jhargram, a town surrounded by vast forests and tribal settlements in Junglemahal. “But this is sister [Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee] Accepted this fact, and promised action… and he himself is a candidate in all 294 constituencies in West Bengal… These local leaders do not mind, ”said the TMC district vice-president.
Even TMC opponents find a certain moral high ground for two-term CMs, who are fiercely fighting for a third, in the face of strong anti-incumbency. “Didi can’t be blamed.” It is the local leaders who have driven us away. He made so much money and lived a fabulous life. “Said Furkan Ali, the owner of a textile shop in Haroa in North 24 procession. He has changed his loyalty to the Indian Secular Front (ISF), a new party started by Islamic religious leader Abbas Siddiqui, which is in alliance with the Left Front and the Congress.
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The paradox of the anti-incumbency in West Bengal is that a universal condemnation of the TMC has been linked with a desire to make allowances for Didi.
Ms. Banerjee called for a complete annihilation from the opposition, and ended up with a team of legalists, political analyst Subhanil Chaudhary explains. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) states that around 200 of its cadres were killed during TMC’s rule; Home Minister Amit Shah said in December that 300 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were killed. “The panchayat election of 2018 was the turning point. No election was held. A third of the members were unopposed and where the voting took place, it was fraud, ”Dr. Chaudhary says.
“These local body leaders tightly control the NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), pension and all other government schemes. They hold up to 30-40% of the money … They act with impunity that they do not need votes to stay in power, “an officer in a block development office in South 24 Parganas, who did not want to become Name given, said.
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His greed was further exposed by Cyclone Amfan in 2020, recalls Amartiyo Roy, an activist from Young Bengal who did relief work: “It was an open robbery.”
Dr. Chaudhary says that Didi is largely absent in public perception of corruption, but her endorsement of identity politics is stuck. Special attention has been paid to Muslims, but the goals of their special attention are not limited to them. Dalit groups, Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Gorkha sub-groups – he has listed it all.
The BJP accuses him of Muslim appeasement, and this year he is trying to shake that tag by demonstrating his Hindu devotion. But a Hindu who is also a Bengali. Ms. Banerjee now patronizes the Durga Puja celebrations, which have state support at unseen levels. This time his call is to choose “Bengal’s daughter” as CM.
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He said, “The only inference about Mamata’s politics is that she is against the CPI (M).” This time, Bengali nationalism is the only toolkit he has abandoned. But it has its limitations. Kolkata is a city with a complete decline in population – the only city, ”Prasenjit Bose, economist and activist, is based in the city. The state has a large non-Bengali population, which feels distinct from the plank of Bengali exceptionalism.
Ms. Banerjee replaced the leftist class politics, but identity politics helped her emerge. Dr. “The BJP has succeeded in convincing a good section of Dalits that they are victims of Muslim appeasement,” says Chaudhary. And the ISF is presenting a new platform for sections of Muslims who are unhappy with Ms. Banerjee, the way they fit into their politics. Mungibur Rahman said in Bhangor, “We are seen as the recipients of some good people.” They say that Dalits have moved from TMC to BJP in their own locality – a trend has also been mentioned in Junglemahal.
The BJP, meanwhile, is pursuing its own religious nationalism and focusing on development rhetoric to reject Ms. Banerjee. “It has long been Bengal versus Delhi. This time, people want to stay in alignment with Delhi… The twin engines of development focus on our campaign, “said Mrinal Kanti Bhuyania, party spokesperson in Jhargram. Didi being seen as the infidel daughter of Bengal Should; BJP portrayed him as the author of anarchy and impediment in the progress of the state. This election is about Didi.
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