Attack on Mamata: Sinking feeling in Bengal

Mamata Banerjee, Bengal’s chief minister, flew back to Kolkata on Wednesday, cutting short her visit to Delhi.

Thus, she cancelled meetings with the PM and the finance minister. Why this kolaveri, Didi? Because Mamata and her ministers were heckled in Delhi by SFI workers. The protestors were wrong to manhandle Amit Mitra. And Mamata is wrong to cancel her meetings and fly off in a huff.

Her stated goal in Delhi was to promote Bengal’s development. Meeting top leaders would have helped. But Mamata has decided to inflate a relatively small incident into a whirlwind that will drag Bengal into political and economic hell.

The Trinamool administration has been inept, venal and violent: witness the rampaging mobs in the districts and on the streets of Kolkata on Tuesday and Wednesday, intent on avenging their Didi’s honour. Some of these worthies stormed the near-200 year old Presidency University, thrashing students and staff and leaving the century-old Baker laboratory in ruins. It has cowed law enforcement into a standstill. Now, police stand idle as hooligans storm the city.

On Tuesday Mamata rattled off numbers, which if true, would place Bengal near the top of India’s states. Yet, Bengal is one of India’s most indebted states, its infrastructure coming apart at the seams. Public healthcare has collapsed: why else would Mamata rush to a posh private clinic for a check up on Wednesday, shunning Kolkata’s state-run hospitals?

For years, Bengal’s politics has been characterised by violence. The Trinamool, whose agenda was poriborton, or change, has not changed that. Meanwhile, businesses left and capital voted with its feet. This week, Mamata proved that she fully intends to take Bengal down the road to perdition.