I came across many columnists advising Mamta to take some lessons from Nitish and the way he focused on development politics that has made him win the assembly election second time.
Nitish replaced Lalu’s clan with 15 years of indomitable rule. Mamta has made a history throwing left out in Bay of Bengal after 34 years from the writer’s building. In both cases just few years before the change, many including the author thought it something impossible to happen. With thumping win just five years ago in 2006, I considered Budhha to have established himself for a long inning. But Mamata made a sort of miracle in just five years. It may take a lot of time for left to regroup and revitalize for win unless Mamta makes blunders.
I hardly understand the M’s Maa, Manush, and Mati. I wish some young great writers from West Bengal write a good biography of Mamta and her fight against Red with that caption.
Mamta as Chief Minister has better chances than Nitish Kumar for getting West Bengal on the track of rapid development. Mamta had picked up many reputed persons with administrative experiences such as Amit Mitra and Manish Gupta and they won. I wondered why Nitish kept his team full of politicians.
And should I not mention the name of our own lady, Dr. Sashi Panja, the daughter of late PV Krishnaih who of the first batch of IIT, Kharagpur and was in Hindustan Motors. Sashi is daughter-in-law of late Ajit Panja. Sashi is a doctor by profession, has won and as reported in media, is a strong contender to join Mamta’s ministry.
Nitish with his engineering background and experience as minister at centre could also have induced some honest, willing and efficient technocrats and administrators of Bihari origin in to last election fray where the atmosphere was totally in his favour. But he didn’t. Was it his inferiority complex?
Centre because of alliance with Congress will be more cooperative with Mamta and will be more helping. I still believe that leftists did a wonderful job in improving the power and in establishing Haldia even after a lot of hurdles created by the centre.
Kolkata still is home of many billionaire businessmen and headquarters of many industrial houses. Ratan Tata may be feeling embarrassed, but many will like to work with her to change the industrial scenario of the West Bengal that has a long industrial culture.
Mamta will find the biggest hurdle coming not from the left politicians but the CITU leaders who remain the worst in world to damage any attempt of improving work culture in offices and workshops. I don’t know how strong the labour union wing of Mamta’s party is. I will be watching her way she uses for crossing this hurdle for industrial development. Will she defeat them with her strength or with her skill of handling the arrogant and militants?
But Nitish ranks high for his political shrewdness and coolness in dealing with even the worst of his enemies. He is not as ruthless and crude for which Mamta is famous. I wish if Mamta cools down with the responsibility that the popular mandate has provided.
There is one more difference. TMC is entirely Mamta’s baby. The party of Nitish was established and nourished initially by other stalwarts such as George Fernandes, Sarad Yadav and some others who were gradually forced to move on the sideline. Nitish has certainly become the boss today.
I wish Mamta to succeed to bring back the lost glory of Bengal taking lessons from all if she can.
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In reply to Mr. K K Singh, I would like to say that reader needs to remember mines mafia prevailing in Bengal.
No one knows where from money pours into Kolkata.
Anup Kumar, Patna
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It is apropos to report in the BiharTimes over Mamata Banerjee's 's land slide victory in the just concluded assembly election in W.B.With Mamata Banerji swearing in as the first woman chief Minister of W.B,the people of West Bengal have,after a long spell of 34 year, over threw CPI(M) and left combine - reducing to a vulnerable
opposition..Mamata Banerjee was ,however, felt pulse of people andraised her finger against the industralization. The way govt started grabbing the land of farmers without paying their genuine price,it led the farmers to speak vehemently, for which lots of people had to fall prey to police bullets while opposing the setting
up of manufacturing unit of Nano car.Despite such an upsurge, the govt.has not yet developed sustainable policy in order to promote investors. Given the prevaling scenario,Mamata Banerjee rose to the occasion and started fishing out in trouble water. she left no stone unturned to vent her pent up feelings to get their right..Even as the
state has no dearth of electricity,the developement is at snail's pace.What is the worst sufferers in the state is education and Health system. Apart from this, the govt. has not been able to pay the salary of the employees in the state on time
.Above all,people had been desperate to change the govt,paving the
path of success to the Trinmool-cong alliance.But the question is
how West Bengal will prosper sans re industralization?
Wakeel Ahmad, Gaya
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Indra has drawn a comparision between Mamta and Nitish. To some extend I share Indra,s views. But both have different style of functioning. Mamta has humbled the fort of left parties led government in Bengal after over 33 years while Nitish has humiliated Laloo-Rabri misrule of 15 years about six years back, Mamata lost many times in uprooting CPM led government, while Nitish also tried much to dethrone Laloo-Rabari- but success eluded him several times mainly because of Laloo's entrenched roots among dalits, Yadav, Muslims etc as Laloo had initially given "juwan" to downtroddens. Both Nitish and Laloo are number one castiest and also harbinger of backward and forward. In Laloo's regime, Muslims tilted the balance in his favour, victory eluding Nitish.
Nitish could succeed only when he created caste feelings among Muslims as Nitish devided Muslims on backward -forward line! Muslims were never devided on caste line- but Nitish got them devided on backward and forward line, bringing a new phenamena among Muslims in Bihar.Anyway, in Bengal politics , caste does not matter as the people are said to be more progressive and open-minded. Mamta only hinged on anti-CPM vote banks, particularly young born after the advent of left rule there and it played tricks and Mamta won the last assembly elections. Indra has rightly pointed out that Mamta has inducted technical and seasoned and also experienced men in her council of ministers while being a technocrat, nitish has only politicians of BJP and JD-U as ministers in his council of ministers. Here lies the success of Mamta in days to come in Bengal politics and development of that state. Here also Nitish lacks the vision of Mamta! Apart from that CPM secured impressive vote of over 45 percent in the last elections because of its root in rural Bengal. Nitish had won handsome seats but his vote share was perhaps little over 39 percent. Bengal is developed state in comparision to Bihar -Mamta will not have to much background works for development of the state while Nitish is trying hard to bring Bihar on development path with little success in the last six years.
Except streamling of law and order and little work on development of Bihar has been done.,educational and health front in Bihar is in sorry state of affairs-only announcements are being made by Nitish instead of doing concrete work to bring Bihar on desired development path. Nitish appears more engrossed in encouraging casteism in Bihar to tilt the scale in his favour- in his regime upper caste like Bhumihar, Brahimins , Rajputs , Kayasthas etc are ruling the state instead of major chunk of taste of power to backwards, dalits, Muslims . Real power testing are being witnessed by his own castemen Kurmis and mafias, who have been channelised by Nitish into contracts etc through his sheer swerdness. As regards blatant favour to Kurmis, Nitish has imported over a dozen IAS, IPS and other central services officers from other cadres to Bihar and wondrfully all they belong to Kurmi caste and majority of them from Nalanda and all of them have been posted on important posts here. Mamta cannot stoop so low like Nitish- Bengal has different work culture in comparision to Bihar and she will have to face vigilant left parties, which have still massive support base.
Not only that corruption is lesser menace in Bengal than Bihar. During Nitish Raj , corruption has become rampant and rates of bribery has increased many times in the last six years-here in Bihar important postings like SDOs, BDOs, DMs, SPs, Commercial taxes and transport officials are posted on heavy price- such situation does not prevail in Bengal! Last but not the least Mamta will have to deliver because of vigilant left and concious citizen of Bengal while weak opposition and decadent society and its people in Bihar are watching the autocratic rule of Nitish- they are not so reactive like Bengalis in Bengal!
K K Singh, a journalist based at Patna after retirement as chief reporter from The Times of India.
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