What is Didi cooking ?

Subhrangshu Gupta

In the past Mamata Banerjee committed many mistakes. And now she has done a new one which may be gradually isolating her politically from all other parties.
Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress did not participate in the September 10 Bharat bundh called by the Congress in which some 21 other political parties took part. The bundh was observed protesting against the recent rise in petrol and diesel prices and the BJP’s many other anti-people decisions.
Mamata did not want, but still the bundh was observed in her state, though partially, as it had always happened during several other bundhs called by the CPI)M)and other parties in the past. On the eve of the bundh, Mamata said they would not participate in the bundh and her government will not also support, which other parties supported and also participated.
She declared the state had suffered a lot in the past due to the bandh and there would be no more bundh in Bengal. But she knows it well that the people and the political parties and even the trade union leaders in her party, will not endorse such a decision and abandon their trade union activities.
Both the CPI(M) and the Congress alleged that the decision of not participating in the bundh was Mamata’s trick for keeping the option open for aligning with the BJP after the elections. Mamata claims she will again win most of the seats both in the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly elections in Bengal and other states where she will be fielding their candidates. But she is also not ignoring the fact that the BJP already stood strong in the state, particularly, in some districts where her popularity has eroded.

Both the CPI(M) and the Congress alleged that the decision of not participating in the bundh was Mamata’s trick for keeping the option open for aligning with the BJP after the elections.

H D Deve Gowda welcoming Mamata Banerjee An anti-incumbency factor will also pose problems to the TMC’s in the polls, which Mamata and other leaders are also realising. The people had seen Mamata frequently changing her political alignment with the Congress, the BJP and other parties ( of course, not with the CPI(M)) in the past as and when needed and for her survival and for which her credibility also was hit to some` extent.
Mamata might claim something otherwise in public but she will not ignore that the BJP in the coming days will pose a problem for the party in retaining their supremacy in Bengal.
Mamata said she fully supported the causes on which the Congress’s bharat bundh was called. But she did not sit on the same dais with Soni Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mammohan Singh and other leaders at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on that day.
The CPI(M) also was not present at the venue and they were observing bundh separately. Mamata met Sonia Gandhi, other national leaders, including Sharad Pawer, Sitaram Yechury, Sharad Yadav, Ms Mayabati, Akhilesh Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal in the past few days.
During her stay in Delhi she also met H D Deve Gowda, his son (presently, the Karnataka chief minister), Andhra Pradesh Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and others.

Mamata has not revealed her mind about the poll-strategy and the selection of her party’s candidates. Some of her sitting MPs in the Lok Sabha and the Assembly, are sure to lose the chance of fighting the forthcoming polls as TMC candidates.

Mamata also called on the veteran BJP leader L K Advani which she said was a courtesy call, which she usually did in the past by meeting both Atal Behari Vajpayee and Advani during her visit to Delhi. Mamata has not yet declared her strategy in the fight for the Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls, which might be held simultaneously or within few months gap between the two.
While the Lok Sabha polls will be due after June, 2019, the state Assembly’s term will expire in May, 2021. If the state poll is advanced , then both the elections could be held jointly in some suitable dates. But the proposal could be taken as preposterous by the ruling TMC and other parties.
Mamata has not opened her mind so far about the poll-strategy and also the selection of the party’s candidates. But one thing is clear some of her sitting MPs in the Lok Sabha and the Assembly are sure to lose the chance of fighting the forthcoming polls as TMC candidates.
Some candidates, who were chosen for their special qualities. in the last elections, will not surely be in the fray. Either they themselves will stay away or they will be dropped from the candidate list. The MPs like Tapan Pal, Satabdi Roy, Moon Moon Sen, Sandhya Roy etc- all actors- may not be contesting . The Barasat MLA , the actor Chiranjit himself said he was no more interested in the fighting the poll again. Another Bengali maintee idol Dev also is unwilling to contest next time.
Several other sitting MLAs involved in the anti-party activities and corruptions will also lose the opportunity. In that case, Mamata will have to bring some new talents and also political persons, preferably, young and honest for filling the gap. Some leaders from the Congress and the CPI(M) which already left their parties and joined hand with Mamata may also be considered as candidates.



		EDITOR'S MAIL EDITOR'S COMMENT ECONOMIC SCENARIO ECONOMIC SCENARIO FRANKLY SPEAKING REALPOLITIK CARING FOR THE NEEDY SIGNS OF THE TIMES UNSMART CITIES M.P POLITICS SOUTHERN TRENDS PUNJAB POLITICS WEST BENGAL POLITICS TIBET’S FUTURE 2+2 DEAL Imran’s naya PakIstan ? PAGE FROM HISTORY PAK POWER GAMES GLOBAL AFFAIRS REVIEW HITS & MISSES SPORTS DIARY BOOK BAZAAR BOOK BAZAAR HONOURING THE BRAVE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE ART OF LIVING Issue:October' 2018 Subscribe Now	WEST BENGAL POLITICS What is Didi cooking ? Subhrangshu Gupta In the past Mamata Banerjee committed many mistakes. And now she has done a new one which may be gradually isolating her politically from all other parties. Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress did not participate in the September 10 Bharat bundh called by the Congress in which some 21 other political parties took part. The bundh was observed protesting against the recent rise in petrol and diesel prices and the BJP’s many other anti-people decisions. Mamata did not want, but still the bundh was observed in her state, though partially, as it had always happened during several other bundhs called by the CPI)M)and other parties in the past. On the eve of the bundh, Mamata said they would not participate in the bundh and her government will not also support, which other parties supported and also participated. She declared the state had suffered a lot in the past due to the bandh and there would be no more bundh in Bengal. But she knows it well that the people and the political parties and even the trade union leaders in her party, will not endorse such a decision and abandon their trade union activities. Both the CPI(M) and the Congress alleged that the decision of not participating in the bundh was Mamata’s trick for keeping the option open for aligning with the BJP after the elections. Mamata claims she will again win most of the seats both in the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly elections in Bengal and other states where she will be fielding their candidates. But she is also not ignoring the fact that the BJP already stood strong in the state, particularly, in some districts where her popularity has eroded. Both the CPI(M) and the Congress alleged that the decision of not participating in the bundh was Mamata’s trick for keeping the option open for aligning with the BJP after the elections. H D Deve Gowda welcoming Mamata Banerjee An anti-incumbency factor will also pose problems to the TMC’s in the polls, which Mamata and other leaders are also realising. The people had seen Mamata frequently changing her political alignment with the Congress, the BJP and other parties ( of course, not with the CPI(M)) in the past as and when needed and for her survival and for which her credibility also was hit to some` extent. Mamata might claim something otherwise in public but she will not ignore that the BJP in the coming days will pose a problem for the party in retaining their supremacy in Bengal. Mamata said she fully supported the causes on which the Congress’s bharat bundh was called. But she did not sit on the same dais with Soni Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mammohan Singh and other leaders at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on that day. The CPI(M) also was not present at the venue and they were observing bundh separately. Mamata met Sonia Gandhi, other national leaders, including Sharad Pawer, Sitaram Yechury, Sharad Yadav, Ms Mayabati, Akhilesh Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal in the past few days. During her stay in Delhi she also met H D Deve Gowda, his son (presently, the Karnataka chief minister), Andhra Pradesh Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and others. Mamata has not revealed her mind about the poll-strategy and the selection of her party’s candidates. Some of her sitting MPs in the Lok Sabha and the Assembly, are sure to lose the chance of fighting the forthcoming polls as TMC candidates. Mamata also called on the veteran BJP leader L K Advani which she said was a courtesy call, which she usually did in the past by meeting both Atal Behari Vajpayee and Advani during her visit to Delhi. Mamata has not yet declared her strategy in the fight for the Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls, which might be held simultaneously or within few months gap between the two. While the Lok Sabha polls will be due after June, 2019, the state Assembly’s term will expire in May, 2021. If the state poll is advanced , then both the elections could be held jointly in some suitable dates. But the proposal could be taken as preposterous by the ruling TMC and other parties. Mamata has not opened her mind so far about the poll-strategy and also the selection of the party’s candidates. But one thing is clear some of her sitting MPs in the Lok Sabha and the Assembly are sure to lose the chance of fighting the forthcoming polls as TMC candidates. Some candidates, who were chosen for their special qualities. in the last elections, will not surely be in the fray. Either they themselves will stay away or they will be dropped from the candidate list. The MPs like Tapan Pal, Satabdi Roy, Moon Moon Sen, Sandhya Roy etc- all actors- may not be contesting . The Barasat MLA , the actor Chiranjit himself said he was no more interested in the fighting the poll again. Another Bengali maintee idol Dev also is unwilling to contest next time. Several other sitting MLAs involved in the anti-party activities and corruptions will also lose the opportunity. In that case, Mamata will have to bring some new talents and also political persons, preferably, young and honest for filling the gap. Some leaders from the Congress and the CPI(M) which already left their parties and joined hand with Mamata may also be considered as candidates.