What it Means For Bengal Elections

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegation that she suffered injuries in an attack by “four-five men” in Nandigram has added fuel to the politically charged atmosphere in the eastern state. Whether it was an attack or an accident, as claimed by some of her rivals, is something investigators will decide. But what does the incident mean for the upcoming assembly elections? Will the episode — and Banerjee’s widely circulated photograph from a hospital bed — turn out to be a defining moment in what has so far been a fierce contest between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)?

News18.com speaks to political commentator Shutapa Paul, the author of Didi: The Untold Mamata Banerjee, and journalist Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, the author of Mission Bengal: A Saffron Experiment, separately to learn what they think.

THE BIG TAKEAWAY:

There’s no doubt that the developments will earn Banerjee some sympathy. While Paul says the “evocative” incident is likely to have an impact on the people of Bengal, who in general are “emotional”, Bhattacharya is not sure whether this will translate to electoral gains. But one thing is for sure: an incident of such a magnitude is not going to fizzle out soon (the matter has reached the election commission and statewide protests have erupted).

PAUL: “There is a lot of connect between Mamata Banerjee and the grass-roots…An incident like this — the chief minister has called the attack ‘deliberate’ — is obviously a serious matter…Investigators should find out why there was no adequate security when the chief minister was out on election campaign…The access to the chief minister should not have been easy…”

BHATTACHARYA: “…As of now, it seems people are quite highly polarised, and most of them have already decided who to vote for. Suvendu Adhikari’s supporters are saying that she has insulted Nandigram by alleging a conspiracy on its soil. Nevertheless, the episode is still unfolding and the course of events cannot be predicted.”

THE ‘STREET FIGHTER’:

There’s a view that the incident, as well as Banerjee’s decision to contest Nandigram against her protégé-turned-rival Adhikari of the BJP, have put the focus back on two traits long associated with the chief minister: that she is a street fighter and that she is not afraid of taking challenges head-on. The Nandigram incident on Wednesday reminded some of August 16, 1990, when Banerjee ended up with a fractured skull after a Communist Party of India (Marxist) worker hit her with a stick. Paul says Banerjee’s decision to fight from Nandigram (Adhikari won the seat in 2016) is also a symbolic and surprise move, one that sends across the message that no political challenge is big enough in front of Didi, as she is popularly known as.

PAUL: “The ‘street fighter’ image is something Mamata Banerjee cherishes…It is not something she wants to let go of…The most important aspect of her is her connect with the people. This is what election strategist Prashant Kishor is relying on while formulating TMC strategies. She has always been a very emotional and passionate leader. The incidents of physical harm in her political career has been common. She has been hit on the head…the most infamous attack was the one that cracked open her head (in 1990), but there are at least two more incidents where she was hit on her head and other parts of the body. She’s been braving all of it.”

BHATTACHARYA: “Mamata has never lost her street fighter image; so there is no question of reinforcing it. But it can safely be said that TMC supporters will be a little more pumped up (after the Nandigram episode)…This (the street fighter tag) has been one of her USPs (unique selling proposition). Even her decision to contest  Nandigram has been seen in the same light, and her decision to take Suvendu head-on on his home turf has helped boost the confidence of TMC supporters.”

POLITICAL TUG OF WAR:

While the BJP has called for an investigation into the matter to find out whether it’s a “drama”, some have suggested the incident was nothing but an accident caused by the door of Banerjee’s car. The Congress, too, has termed it a “nautanki” to gain public sympathy. The Left, its electoral partner in the state, has taken a similar stand. While Paul thinks the language used in the discourse was not appropriate, Bhattacharya says it shows concerns over the political fallout of the incident, especially in the Congress-Left bloc.

PAUL: “When a leader of such national repute is injured, we don’t expect the Opposition, be it the Congress using the word ‘nautanki’ or the BJP calling it a tactic to gain sympathy…The political discourse in our country has taken a nosedive…she had to cut short her campaign and was rushed to a hospital in Kolkata; some political courtesy should have been followed.”

BHATTACHARYA: “The Congress and the CPI(M) have both alleged that Mamata enacted a drama, almost immediately after the news broke. This reveals their anxiety about Mamata scoring some additional points by gaining sympathy.”

END NOTE:

Attack or accident? No matter which side of the debate one is on, the incident is definitely a new low for Bengal, triggering waves in the muddy waters of its politics that is marked by violent episodes. With the war of words that has ensued, it’s certain that there is no immediate end to the controversy in sight. In the March heat, the political mercury will continue to soar ahead of the eight-phase elections in the state.