The political chessboard in West Bengal is now fully laid out. The face-off between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is without precedent in independent, democratic India. The moment that drew national attention was Mamata Banerjee’s arrival at the site of the ED raid on I-PAC, where she reportedly removed a green file and a hard disk from the office of I-PAC’s co-founder. This dramatic episode signals Mamata Banerjee’s return to her familiar role as a street fighter. The Trinamool Congress appears to see political opportunity in this confrontation with the ED. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left have mounted sharp attacks on the Chief Minister, asserting that her actions amount to a punishable offense. The controversy has now moved into the legal arena: Mamata Banerjee has lodged an FIR against ED officials, while the ED has filed its own case against her. The final word now rests with the courts.
A look at West Bengal’s political history shows that Mamata Banerjee has always thrived on street politics. Her greatest strength lies in her grassroots connect. Even as Chief Minister, she has maintained close ties with ordinary people. Agitations, rallies, and street-level protests have long been central to her political identity. In her personal life too, she symbolizes simplicity. Her plain sarees, slippers, and austere lifestyle distinguish her from most contemporary leaders. By shunning power-driven pomp and remaining rooted among the masses, she has carved out a unique political persona. Having endured struggles on the streets, Mamata Banerjee built a loyal base of supporters that carried her from one political victory to the next.
Mamata Banerjee, who campaigned on the slogan of “Mother, Land, and People,” appealed to the people with her fighting spirit. Known as “Didi” (elder sister) in Bengal, Mamata Banerjee became a leader who defeated all the major political parties in India – the Left, Congress, and BJP. She began by challenging the Left Front, defeating veteran Left leader Somnath Chatterjee in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections. She is also credited with overthrowing the decades-long Leftist rule in West Bengal. She spearheaded a grassroots political movement in Nandigram and Singur, which ultimately led to the ousting of the Leftist government, which had claimed to represent the poor, from power in 2011. During the Left Front government’s rule in West Bengal, industrial development in the state had stalled. After Jyoti Basu’s departure, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who became Chief Minister, invited the Indonesian Salim Group to invest in order to kickstart industrial development. He also invited Tata to set up the Nano car project, but the attempt to acquire land from the people was carried out through force. The compensation offered was also inadequate. This led to widespread public protests. The Leftist government resorted to repression. Gradually, the farmers’ movement spread throughout the state. The protests in Nandigram and Singur reached their peak. There were shootings and violence. A minor girl, Tapasi Malik, was raped and murdered. Mamata Banerjee transformed this movement into a full-blown struggle and went on a hunger strike for 26 days.
During this movement, the violent nature of West Bengal politics also came to the fore. Workers of the Left parties continuously murdered their opponents. The movement was successful, and the Left government failed to attract a single industrial project. Tata Motors packed up its business and moved to Sanand in Gujarat. At that time, Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The ground slipped from under the Left’s feet, and they lost power. A decade after defeating the Left, Mamata Banerjee, despite a physical disability, defeated the BJP. This was at a time when the BJP had become a major challenge for any regional leader. There is no doubt that the BJP made a strong presence in the last assembly elections in West Bengal and has emerged as a significant challenge for Mamata Banerjee. Mamata Banerjee’s government has also been plagued by a long list of scams. The Saradha chit fund scam, the Ponzi scheme scam, the Narada sting operation, coal smuggling, the ration distribution scam, and the teacher recruitment scam are just a few examples, with several of the party’s ministers and MPs facing action. Mamata Banerjee has consistently described these arrests as acts of revenge and accused the central agencies of misuse of power. There have been several clashes between central agencies like the CBI and ED and the Bengal police. There have also been frequent clashes with the Raj Bhavan (Governor’s residence), whether it was during the tenure of Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, Jagdeep Dhankhar, or C.V. Ananda Bose. Mamata Banerjee accuses the ruling Modi government at the center of discriminating against Bengal. She alleges that the central government is withholding funds for various central schemes like Ujjwala, PM Awas Yojana, and MNREGA, and claims that Modi and Shah want to bring Bengal under their control by any means. On the other hand, the BJP, which plays the role of the main opposition in the state’s politics, portrays Mamata Banerjee as a dictator.
In the 2021 assembly elections, the BJP ran an aggressive election campaign in Bengal. Suvendu Adhikari, a prominent TMC leader and a close confidant of Mamata Banerjee, joined the BJP. Suvendu challenged Mamata Banerjee in the Nandigram assembly constituency and defeated her. However, despite their leader’s defeat, the TMC achieved its best performance in 2021, winning 213 seats. The BJP secured 77 seats. Meanwhile, the Left and the Congress failed to win a single seat. The West Bengal election was a prestige battle for the BJP, and they had invested all their resources and started preparations well in advance. The Left had lost its ground. The machinery associated with power had aligned itself with the TMC. In this scenario, the BJP quickly began to fill the void in the opposition. The BJP is now on the offensive, relying on the support of Mamata Banerjee’s former lieutenants, as many of her close associates have left her. Mamata Banerjee is likely aware of the legal consequences of her actions during the raid on I-PAC. Despite this, what she did does not bode well for democracy. It remains to be seen what the outcome will be in the upcoming elections.
