West Bengal at the centre of PM Narendra Modi's development map

In any other state, PM Narendra Modi's visit or his official engage ments in the company of the chief minister concerned would have passed off as a normal, regular event, barely leaving room for wild media speculation, but not so in Didi's Bengal.

In the charged political atmosphere preceding the LS polls, Bengal witnessed a shrill, nasty , no-holds-barred slanging match between Modi and Mamata marking the beginning of a new low in personal equations between them. Each targeted the weakest spot of the other, Modi repeatedly raising Mamata's alleged personal involvement in the Saradha scam and Mamata responding, calling him equally persistently as nothing more than the ugly face of riots (`dangar mukh').

Though in her state, Mamata won the electoral battle decisively , she refused to climb down from her combative posturing, persisting in her belligerent, vicious, high-decibel antiModi tirades for the better part of the new regime in Delhi. She refused to greet Modi when he became PM and declined his invitation to attend his swearing-in. She avoided the PM until this January , when at an official Rastrapati Bhavan banquet in honour of the visiting Bangladesh president, Modi took the initiative of greeting an embarrassed Didi with a customary but warm “namaste“. Even the PM's unilateral gesture proved inadequate in melting the lady's heart as Mamata continued skipping all Delhi meetings called by the PM.

Her party TMC emerged as the most vociferous anti-BJP force in Delhi, almost acting as the rallying point of opposition unity in both Houses of Parliament. It seemed Didi was prepared to walk the extra mile in her anti-BJP crusade and bury the hatchet even with the Left, her traditional but humbled foe on her home turf. Shedding her longheld inhibitions about Nitish Kumar she cancelled her engagements to dash off to Patna to attend his swearing-in with other opposition leaders.During the first nine months of his new regime, Mamata stood out as the most obdurate and uncompromising sore thumb for Modi.

Suddenly , early this March, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction when Didi did a dramatic volte face and decided to call on the same PM in Delhi, ostensibly to press her impossible demand for waiver of the huge interest burden on accumulated loans. Her mission failed but the meeting signalled the beginning of a thawing process as the TMC was seen breaking ranks with other opposition parties in parliament to lend its support to a number of contentious bills, including the one on GST and the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh.

Arun Jaitley and Nitin Gadkari readily accepted Mamata's invitation to Kolkata for a state-sponsored industry meet and announce the Centre's full-throated cooperation in the state's development. For now, the thawing process culminated with Modi's first official visit to the state early this month when both leaders took a public vow to be partners in Team India for development. As Modi approaches completion of his first year in office and Mamata her fourth, the sparring leaders seem set for a new beginning.

Mamata chose to be on a warpath with Modi and his party as she was nervous and rattled by two imponderables a year ago -the BJP's spectacular electoral performance in the state and CBI's role in the Saradha scam. When on both counts she found the threat diminishing to manageable proportions, Mamata did a course correction even as her new chemistry with the PM set tongues wagging over a possible quid pro-quo. She now counts more political dividends in riding the bandwagon of Modi's coop erative federalism as she expects to extract more concessions and financial help for her state in the crucial election year. Notwithstanding the political slug-fest, Centre-state relations over economic and administrative matters have remained friendly , almost reminiscent of the Atal era. Over the last year the state has benefited financially from various policy decisions of Modi government, most notably from auctions of coal blocks. In other words, in Modi and her party , Mamata doesn't see a vindictive adversary as she readies herself to play along.

Mamata is aware of the political risks associated with demonstration of cordiality with Modi in a state with a sizeable Muslim population.The future of Modi-Mamata Bhai-Behen, therefore, hangs in balance and depends largely on how politics plays out in the remaining months before the state goes to polls.

The writer is Editor, Ei Samay