This past week, West Bengal has bled. Not from the wounds of nature, but from the self-inflicted gashes of a party clinging to power by brute force. In Sandesh Khali, ED officials, tasked with upholding the law, were hounded like pariahs by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons—the loyal foot soldiers of Shahjahan Sheikh, a TMC strongman whose name rhymes with impunity. Another TMC heavyweight orchestrated a symphony of political thuggery, which Bongoan echoed with similar mayhem. Yet, amidst the din of violence, Mamata Banerjee’s voice is curiously muted.
No outrage, no apology—just the tired, predictable refrain of blaming the Centre. This deafening silence speaks volumes. It’s the silence of a leader who has lost control over her government, her bureaucracy, even her own party. The tremors of internal strife gnaw at the TMC’s core. Old guards loyal to Mamata clash with Abhishek Banerjee’s young coterie. The battle for power bleeds onto the streets, staining Bengal crimson with political vendetta. But this internecine drama is merely a symptom, not the disease. The rot runs deeper.
From rampant corruption to brazen misappropriation of funds, Bengal is a landscape of plunder. Strongman culture festers in the districts, their sway unchallenged by a toothless administration. Violence erupts with the unerring rhythm of monsoon rains, washing away any pretence of law and order.
This, not the squabbles within the TMC, is the real tragedy in Bengal.
The once-vibrant “Ma, Mati, Manush” slogan of Mamata now echoes hollowly in the empty stomachs of those who are starving as a result of poor governance. Her “Khela Hobe” has morphed into a macabre dance of political thuggery, where democracy is the unwilling ballerina, twirled and tossed at the whims of local strongmen. Bengal deserves better. It deserves leaders who uphold the law, not orchestrate its subversion. It deserves a government that cares for its people and does not line its own pockets. It deserves the right to dissent, not the fear of retribution. Mamata Banerjee can cling to power for as long as the ED allows, but she cannot hide the truth forever.
Bengal is burning, and the smoke will not clear until she and her party acknowledge the inferno they have unleashed. Only then can Bengal hope to rise from the ashes, like a phoenix bathed in the light of genuine democracy.
Dirty Underbelly of TMC Strongmen Dependent Politics
The TMC, once a symbol of change in West Bengal, has transformed into a power-hungry entity nourished by political strongmen. Mamata’s party now shelters the very CPI(M) goons she once opposed, ruling like warlords in districts such as Birbhum and Sandesh Khali. Anubrata Mondal and Shahjahan Sheikh wield power fueled by corruption and electoral muscle, while Mamata, once a defender of the oppressed, overlooks their tyranny for political gain. These strongmen, crafted from corruption and expedience, prioritise muscle over ideology, leaving Bengal bleeding under their rule.
Gunshots and ill-gotten wealth stifle democracy, crush dissent, and obscure the rule of law. As the people of Bengal awaken to the decay and broken promises, resistance grows, demanding change and accountability. Mamata’s days as a puppet master to these strongmen are numbered, and the impending reckoning could signal a brighter future for Bengal, liberated from the ghosts of its past. This cautionary tale serves as a stark warning against succumbing to the allure of strongmen in democracy, urging vigilance for the preservation of liberty.
The Old vs Young Debate
The TMC finds itself ensnared in a web of internal strife, an unsettling reality unveiled even on the solemn occasion of its foundation day. The cracks within the party surfaced as state president Subrata Bakshi, ostensibly aligned with Mamata Banerjee, publicly clashed with Abhishek Banerjee. This discord unfolded during an event commemorating the birth of the Trinamool Congress, with Bakshi asserting that if Abhishek contested elections, Mamata would stand out.
Sudip Bandyopadhyay echoed this sentiment, emphasising the party’s reliance on Mamata. In response, Kunal Ghosh, spokesperson for Abhishek’s faction, criticised Bakshi’s remarks, deeming them detrimental to the party. Ghosh also questioned the absence of Abhishek’s photograph at a party meeting, asserting his significance to the TMC. The age debate further fuels disunity, as Abhishek advocates for a retirement age in politics.
With 10 out of 23 TMC MPs over 65 and internal dissent escalating, the party faces a pivotal moment. The old-versus-new debate, coupled with the spectre of age caps, threatens the party’s unity ahead of crucial general elections. Mamata Banerjee grapples with an increasingly divided house, risking the very fabric of her party’s solidarity.
Is Bengal a puppet show? Mamata, Abhishek & the State in Shadows
The air in Bengal crackles with uncertainty. The question on everyone’s lips is: who holds the reins, Mamata or Abhishek? Whispers echo throughout the state, comparing Abhishek’s rise to Sanjay Gandhi’s, painting Mamata as a mere figurehead, her grip on power slipping like grains of sand through her fingers. This power play within the TMC isn’t just a Shakespearean drama for political pundits. It’s a tragedy with Bengal as the stage and its people as the unwilling audience. Ministers, under Mamata’s supposed watch, stumble into corruption scandals like drunken dancers at a boisterous wedding. Yet Mamata feigns ignorance, her denials sounding hollower with each new arrest.
This confusion, this paralysis, plunges Bengal into a twilight zone. Jobless graduates line the streets, their degrees gathering dust along with their dreams. Teachers, the supposed torchbearers of knowledge, sit in silent protest, their classrooms replaced by roads. The exodus of talent continues, draining Bengal of its lifeblood. Meanwhile, violence erupts like monsoon storms, each incident a grim brushstroke on the canvas of chaos. The Opposition, armed with Bengal’s despair, paints a macabre masterpiece. Every pothole, every empty stomach, and every whimper of dissent becomes a brushstroke depicting a state in decay.
And while Mamata and Abhishek fiddle within their party walls, Bengal burns. But this internal squabble, while dramatic, is just the tip of the iceberg. The real monster lurks beneath its name – political expediency. Shahjahan Sheikh, the Sandesh Khali strongman, is just one grotesque tentacle of this beast. These strongmen, Mamata’s so-called “electoral muscle”, are the tumours feeding off Bengal’s body politic.
Mamata and Abhishek must realise that their family feud threatens to cripple the state. Bengal is not a toy to be fought over in a dynastic tug-of-war. The people are not pawns in their game of thrones. A truce, then—if not for power, then for Bengal. Acknowledge the internal strife, deal with it swiftly, and turn your gaze towards the state that bleeds under your watch. Cleanse the system and let governance bloom where corruption festers. Only then can Bengal emerge from the shadows, and only then can its people reclaim their lost hope.
Mamata and Abhishek have a straightforward choice – either protect Bengal from their shadows or allow them to consume the state. The clock is ticking, and Bengal waits, breathless, for a leader, not a puppeteer.
Mamata needs to take control
Mamata Banerjee’s diminishing grip on both her party and governance poses a severe threat to the stability of West Bengal. The evident loss of control demands urgent attention, as the consequences could spiral into heightened unrest and various forms of violence among the people of the state. The recent internal strife within the TMC and the dissent among party members has unveiled a leadership crisis that extends beyond mere political squabbles.
For Mamata, regaining control is imperative not only for the survival of her political career but, more crucially, for the well-being of the state. The inability to rein in internal conflicts risks transforming political differences into street-level clashes, jeopardising the peace and security of Bengal. A fractured TMC, torn by infighting, not only weakens Mamata’s position as a leader but also opens the door to external political manipulations that could further destabilise the region.
To avert the looming spectre of violence, Mamata Banerjee must address the root causes of the dissent within her party, foster internal unity, and restore confidence in her governance. Time is of the essence, and a failure to regain control swiftly may plunge Bengal into a cycle of unrest. For national politics also, Mamata does not have a strong base because if her party loses its base in Bengal, there is no existence of TMC anywhere else, so the future of TMC is very uncertain.
The author, a columnist and research scholar, teaches journalism at St. Xavier’s College (autonomous), Kolkata. He tweets at @sayantan_gh. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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