Mamata Banerjee and the ‘assault’ in Nandigram: Political significance

On the tenth of March, Mamata Banerjee alleged that she had been attacked. The CM alleged four-five folks intentionally pushed her, after which she fell down and suffered an damage on her leg. She stated that it was achieved as a part of a conspiracy. Banerjee stated that she was in deep ache as a result of damage, and in addition had a fever. After she received injured, Mamata Banerjee, allegedly writing in ache, travelled virtually 300 km to get admitted to the SSKM hospital.
Both the CM and her celebration staff alleged that it’s a conspiracy to maintain her out of election campaigns. Although they didn’t title anybody, they tried guilty the BJP for the incident.
Eyewitnesses, nonetheless, fully trashed Mamata’s claims of being ‘pushed’ by some folks. They claimed that all the account given by Mamata Banerjee is fake, and it was an accident. They additionally stated that she was surrounded by police safety at that second, denying the declare by the CM that there was no police safety round her on the time of the incident.
Describing how the CM suffered an damage, the eyewitnesses stated that Mamata Banerjee was greeting the gang with folded arms from her automotive. The automotive was shifting, and she or he had stored the door of the automotive open to greet the folks ready by the roadside. At Birulia Bazar in Nandigram, the open door of the shifting automotive hit a pillar, inflicting the door to close forcefully. The door hit the leg of Mamata Banerjee, inflicting the damage, stated the locals who claimed to have witnessed all the incident. They stated the allegation that 4-5 folks pushed the CM is totally false.
The eyewitness statements and the plain discrepancy in Mamata Banerjee’s model of occasions didn’t deter the standard suspects from questioning ‘what would the voters think about this’, because it was unfathomable to them that BJP wouldn’t consider the occasions as claimed by Mamata Banerjee.
They referred to as such assertions by BJP downright heartless and merciless, saying, that it will be attention-grabbing how voters would now react to it.
Tweet by Prashant Bhushan
Tweet by Swati Chaturvedi
One has to confess – the image of a lady chief, mendacity in mattress with that expression on her face and a bandaged leg is extraordinarily highly effective. India, as a rustic, loves the triumphant story of a distressed girl beating the chances in a person’s world and rising, very like a phoenix, to combat for the downtrodden. It makes for an ideal film.
As we additionally know, elections are sometimes received on sentiments. We would possibly deny it as a result of we need to consider ourselves as logical people who wish to weight the monitor file of each chief after which make an knowledgeable resolution – however it isn’t true. People vote primarily based on which chief can tug on their heartstrings. Politics is just not a straightforward job, one would possibly argue. You want to essentially determine what folks need. What they REALLY need. And then, promise to offer it to them. Not simply promise, actually, however look like convincing, motivated and most of all – empathetic. The mark of a very good politician is to make sure that the folks themselves start to consider that you simply, and solely you, are the reply to all their woes. You, and also you alone, will combat for them.
The mark of a superb chief is in fact to truly be honest, promise what you may ship and as soon as the folks consider you and solid votes in your favour, ship these guarantees.
That is, nonetheless, probably not TMC’s model.
In 2011 when Mamata Banerjee got here to energy, she got here to energy on the plank of Maa, Maati, Maanush. She stated that she was a daughter of the soil and that she would toil until her final breath for the curiosity of those that belong to this soil.
Mamata made the arduous journey from that assertion to conserving quiet whereas Bengali Hindus burnt in riots, protesting in opposition to NRC, a proposal to ship Bangladeshis again after which, proclaiming that each one Bangladeshis in Bengal have been residents.
Essentially, TMC has all the time performed on the folks’s sentiments to both come to energy or retain energy. But when the nation elected PM Modi, it received over the emotional blackmailing of the Congress and learnt to look past the rhetoric. Why does TMC then assume that this rhetoric will work in Bengal in 2021? Why does it consider that an accident is named an orchestrated assault on Maatir Maye (Daughter of the soil) will nonetheless resonate with the folks?
For starters, it’s good politics. Don’t consider me? Here is what Prashant Kishore stated in one among his interviews concerning the Bengal elections.
Prashant Kishore in overconfidence shared his particular technique of successful election even earlier than utilizing it for personal celebration in present election. pic.twitter.com/adR6COoOTq— Political Kida (@PoliticalKida) March 11, 2021
Kishor was requested categorically about what might change his estimate that BJP received’t win greater than 100 seats in Bengal in 2021. His reply? If there may be an assault on Paramilitary Forces, then BJP might win extra seats.
The underlying sentiment on this section and this response by Prashant Kishor is quite easy – In Bengal, feelings run excessive and for the elections to sway massively, an emotional set off is required.
Could the Nandigram fiasco of Mamata Banerjee be a type of orchestrated fiascos? We can’t say. Let’s not neglect that right this moment, virtually 24 hours after Mamata Banerjee and TMC claimed that this was an organised assault by the BJP, the police report has categorically said that it was an accident.
So why does feelings work in West Bengal?
One has to recall how The Left Front dominated the state for seven consecutive phrases 1977–2011, 5 with Jyoti Basu as Chief Minister and two beneath Buddhadev Bhattacharya. Under Jyoti Basu, the state noticed a number of massacres of Hindus, together with the Marichjhapi bloodbath. Under Buddhadev Bhattacharya too, political violence was virtually at its zenith.
Bengalis, although, gave the Left greater than 35 years to do one thing substantial for the state. Why? Because the Communists spoke about doing one thing.. one thing for the downtrodden. Something for individuals who have been left behind by the industrialisation in the remainder of the nation. Something that they sought. Just.. one thing.
When they realised that even after 35 years, the Communists had not achieved a lot, they might have nonetheless voted for the Communists had Mamata Banerjee not promised to do one thing for the downtrodden. Something for individuals who have been left behind by the Industrialisation in the remainder of the nation. Something that they sought. Just.. one thing.
Bengal trusted Mamata as a result of they noticed how she sat hungry for them.
Hunger strike by Mamata
Bengal trusted her as a result of they noticed how the Communists beat her up as a result of she was preventing for them.
An try to homicide Mamata Banerjee when she was a Youth Congress chief
And they knew, that it was a combat between Mamata, who needed to higher their lives, and the Communists, who needed to retain energy.
You see, Bengal and its inhabitants are mesmerised by their illustrious previous. The goals of revolution in opposition to the British, the combat in opposition to the tyrants, and intellectuals who fought in opposition to all odds are central to being a Bengali. Politics, as such, is not only dinner desk dialog, it’s a dialog held with strangers – at bus stations, at cigarette outlets, at paan outlets, within the bus, within the trams – nearly in all places. And whereas speaking about politics, one typically hears tales of how, armed with ardour, their ancestors fought the British. How right this moment as folks throng to have breakfast at Flury’s, their household fought the British when Indians weren’t allowed. How once they have been in faculty, they used to partake in unions to make sure that labourers received their rights.. so on and so forth.
That aspect of ‘revolution’, a sentiment that spurned the liberty wrestle and one thing as vicious because the Naxalbari motion, is engrained in Bengal and within the blood and hearts of Bengalis.
Mamata, along with her newest drama, which for the remainder of the world is however a meme to snigger at, is attempting to recapture the very sentiment that introduced her to energy.
A daughter of the soil preventing the tyrants to return again to energy so she will be able to combat for the folks. It is the right plan. Prashant Kishor stated it as a result of he has studied Bengal and Mamata replicated it as a result of she has lived via it.
Only this time, it’s fully doable that Mamata is just not seen because the revolutionary being silence, however somebody who’s perceived to be tyrant silencing the revolutionaries.
As the chants of Jai Shree Ram develop louder, one thinks that maybe this time, her shenanigans received’t work. What Mamata must also bear in mind is that Bengal, whereas affected person with tyrants, refuses to look again as soon as they vote them out of energy. They gave the Communists 35 lengthy years and once they lastly fed up, they voted TMC to energy and by no means seemed again. This time, Bengal’s sentiments may lie with those that are being murdered, hanged from bushes, crushed up by a celebration that appears to be shedding grip on energy – TMC – and far to her chagrin, swollen ankles could not assist to carry again her misplaced glory.