Didi of Bengal, “Agnikanya” Mamata Banerjee has a prolonged history of curbing the dissenters.The tragic thing that happens to Bengal is that, in 2011 Bengalis voted against the oppression of communist but within a year people realized they are in the same hand of oppressors, probably more authoritarian.
It all started with the interview of Sagarika Ghose where Mamata Banerjee storms out of the interview and accused the questioner as maoist but she was a political science student of prestigious Presidency University. It was a great face loss for Trinamul Congress.
Jadavpur university chemistry professor Ambikesh Mohapatra was arrested because of a cartoon forwarded by him which criticized CM’s action against Dinesh Trivedi, the then railway minister who increased railway fare without discussing with her. In 2016 despite Narada sting operation Mamata Banerjee storms back on power with even higher mandate. Supporters started claiming that people chastise TMC and Mamata with this mandate. There was another scam came out named “Sharadha case” where many top TMC officials were caught red handed in a money laundering case against a chit fund company. Mamata Banerjee promised people that they will get justice. But Sharadha case is still not solved yet. Even in 2019 Mamata Banerjee used her police to arrest CBI officers who had gone there to interrogate Kolkata ex-police commissioner Rajib Kumar who has a link with sharadha. It stirred a battle between centre and state.
In recent panchayat election nearly 34% of seats were won uncontested by Trinamool Congress which surpassed the CPI(M) record in 2003 which was nearly 11%. This data shows the amount of oppression created in a democratic system.
But TMC faced a heavy blow in 2019 general election where BJP captures 18 out of 42 seats and ruling party manages only 22, which is a direct fall from 34. The bastion which seems impregnable is now in threat of collapse.
As Bengal gearing up for upcoming “Vidhan Sabha” election, parties already preparing to build their consent through online campaigns, it is probably going to be the toughest challenge against Mamata Banerjee where her oppression politics has no gain.
