Bengal CM’s priority is State, not ‘third front’
The event of Mamata Banerjee's oath-taking ceremony was loaded with speculation about the formation of a ‘third front' to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in the 2019 lok Sabha election. Various regional satraps from across the country were in attendance as she took oath as Chief Minister of West Bengal, furthering talk of a possible grand alliance as the only way out to halt the determined and surgical march of the BJP-led alliances, more so after the Assam election result which saw the BJP and its partners snatch the State from the Congress by an astoundingly large margin; and the party's impressive gains in Kerala. There is no harm in the regional players dreaming of a big role on the national stage. But for now, Mamata Banerjee should concentrate on what she has been mandated for: Governing West Bengal efficiently. The task is enough to keep her busy, since the State has not been exactly the best-governed so far. The fact is that the Banerjee Government's performance in the preceding tenure had been less than satisfactory. She and her men may offer a slew of statistics to demonstrate that West Bengal showed remarkable economic and social progress, but the reality on the ground does not match. Industries still shy from coming to the State; social appeasement (without accompanying empowerment) of certain communities is blatant; law and order remains a sore point; whimsical diktat gets passed off as policy decision. Mamata Banerjee has to change her style of functioning. She certainly deserves credit for having crafted a massive win for her party against the left-Congress Combine and a resurgent BJP, but the electoral success has to translate into good governance. Besides, she must rein in elements in the party that believe in the ideology of political violence — which the left front had turned into art in its more-than-three-decade long uninterrupted rule. Her claim that the Trinamool Congress is a peace-loving party will sound credible if she cracks down on attacks by her supporters on rival party members. Violence had been reported during the campaign for the Assembly election and also after the result was out. It would be a pity if the Chief Minister is even now unable to contain the rogue elements in her party.
Admittedly, it will take time for the new Government to undo the massive all-round damage that the left had done to the State during the three-decade reign. But the people are not going to wait endlessly without reacting adversely in case results don't show. The Chief Minister and her team have to burn the midnight oil. She is lucky that the people have not yet forgotten the troubles they had endured during the left rule, since this is part of the reason for her return despite her party being mired in scam allegations. But good times don't last forever. With the BJP now emerging as a major player in the State, she cannot take her position for granted.