May 14: The prospect of the Congress joining a Mamata Banerjee-led government brightened tonight with Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee holding a "fruitful discussion" with the Trinamul chief. "I had a fruitful discussion with Mamata," Mukherjee said in Calcutta, asked if the Congress would join the Trinamul-led government. Mamata echoed Mukherjee, saying that her "talks with Pranabda were satisfactory". Mamata was learnt to have told Mukherjee that she preferred a small cabinet, unlike the CPM that carved up ministries to accommodate allies. The Trinamul chief had a fortnight ago told STAR Ananda that she herself would oversee four key departments like industry, home, education and health for at least six months. Mamata visited Mukherjee's Dhakuria residence around 9.10pm and was closeted with him for nearly 50 minutes. She was accompanied by her junior cabinet colleague Mukul Roy, three party MPs and her MLA from Tollygunge. Mamata is expected to accompany Mukherjee to Delhi tomorrow to apparently discuss the Congress's participation in her government. The Trinamul leader will meet Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. She will invite them to the swearing-in, expected on Wednesday. "I shall go to Delhi with Pranabda tomorrow," Mamata said. Asked if Sonia will attend the oath-taking ceremony in Calcutta, sources in Delhi said no decision had been taken so far. Sonia is expected to address a rally in Varanasi on May 19 but no programme has been scheduled for May 18. "If Mamata personally invites her to the ceremony, she may choose to go," a leader said. AICC secretary in charge of Bengal Shakeel Ahmed said he was "thankful to Mamataji for inviting us to join her government". Describing it as "a very positive development," Shakeel said: "We shall take the final call after discussing the matter with our elected representatives." The Congress has convened a meeting of its legislature party tomorrow morning. "A majority of our elected representatives are in favour of joining the government. We shall discuss the matter with a positive mind," said a PCC leader. Although the Congress is not in a position to drive a hard bargain for portfolios, an AICC leader said Mamata would be requested to give berths that would "help us reach out to the people". State Congress president Manas Bhuniya today sent a bouquet of flowers to Mamata to congratulate her on her "landslide victory". Sources in Delhi said the Congress central leadership had more or less decided to join the Mamata government. Sources said the Congress core committee yesterday reviewed the election results and decided to ascertain the views of the MLAs first but the unanimous view was that there should be no hesitation in joining the government in Bengal. Although some senior leaders felt that the party should wait to see how the new government performs, the majority view was that a joint government would send a positive signal from the very beginning and generate enthusiasm among the workers. A senior Congress leader said in Delhi: "All indications suggest that we are joining the government. We don't want to create doubts about our coalition at this juncture." Senior party leaders felt that staying away from the government would be detrimental to the party's growth in the state. "Trinamul, which has grown at our cost, will be in a better position to lure away our leaders if we do not share power," a leader said. The Congress had stayed away from power in Tamil Nadu but it yielded no political dividends. Petrol price baptism for new govt | | OUR BUREAU | | May 14: Petrol prices were today raised by over Rs 5 a litre in the sharpest jump in at least 11 years, the announcement coming a day after the election results in five states. The increase, brewing since unrest spread in several Arab nations, has gifted the Left a tool for protest after its worst defeat and set up a tax test for the incoming Mamata Banerjee government. Calcuttans will have to pay Rs 67.71 a litre from midnight, after the ninth increase since prices were deregulated last June. This means the price has gone up by nearly Rs 12.50 a litre in a year in the city. The sales tax on petrol in Left-ruled Bengal has been among the highest in the country at 25 per cent. Under fire for protesting against the Centre for oil price rise while refusing to cut sales tax, the state government had last July announced a Re 1 subsidy on each litre of diesel bought by bus, minibus and taxi operators. Senior Trinamul Congress leaders tonight refused to comment whether the new government would reduce the sales tax at a time the outgoing regime has left behind a huge debt burden. The Left also appeared to be facing a dilemma — over the mode of protest — though the issue has rejuvenated the group a day after its worst electoral drubbing. It is not averse to calling a bandh but sections in Bengal are wondering if that would be construed as an "obstructionist" policy towards the new government in the state. "This is the UPA's gift to the people one day after they voted for them," CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury said in Delhi. "We are announcing nationwide protests tomorrow." Asked whether the Left plans to call a bandh, Yechury said: "We would like to. But we shall talk to our allies before deciding." But Bengal CPM leader Biman Bose, who also warned of protests, said in Calcutta: "There is no question of calling bandhs". ( ) A price rise was on the cards after international crude oil prices jumped to a two-year high of $120 a barrel in April — driven by the political uncertainty in West Asia, slow global recovery and a debt crisis in Europe — from $100 in January when the last revision was announced. India imports 80 per cent of its crude requirements. "The hike was much needed for the health of the oil firms and for managing the monetary policy. There could be another hike in petrol prices in a month or so when global crude prices stabilise. A hike in diesel prices also needs to be undertaken to manage the subsidy burden of the government," said N.R. Bhanumurthy of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. The government had asked state-owned oil companies to hold prices steady till the elections in Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were over, officials said. "Despite very high global crude oil prices and a huge debt burden for oil firms, the increase is only moderate keeping the consumers' interests in view," an IOC official said of the sharpest increase since the year 2000. But an official said that "the hike needed to bring domestic rates on a par with international prices was Rs 10.50 per litre". The increase announced today has been half that, he added. The IOC, BPCL and HPCL lose about Rs 16.17 per litre of diesel, Rs 28.28 per litre of kerosene and Rs 329.73 per domestic LPG cylinder they sell. Diesel prices have been left unchanged to avoid a cascading effect on prices of all goods, especially food products, since that is the fuel used by trucks. "The empowered Group of Ministers (headed by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee) is likely to meet after May 23" to decide on diesel and cooking gas prices, a senior oil ministry official said. The government paid Rs 40,912 crore in subsidy to oil companies in the last financial year — over half the Rs 78,000 crore the three firms lost by selling auto and cooking fuel below their imported cost. The three firms will "at current international crude oil prices lose Rs 180,208 crore in revenues by selling diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene below their imported cost in the 2011-12 fiscal," an official said. | |
| Caretaker-CM cycle broken - Consultations with CM-designate a matter of courtesy | | MEGHDEEP BHATTACHARYYA | Calcutta, May 14: The mammoth mandate has thrown up another first in 34 years in Bengal: a caretaker chief minister who has to keep the seat warm for another chief minister-designate. For the three decades since 1977, the chief ministers who became caretakers were sure of shedding the label after the elections and discharging responsibilities as the chief executive of the state. Jyoti Basu did so till November 2000 when he handed over the reins to Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee who fought two elections (in 2001 and 2006) and continued at the helm. But on Friday afternoon, Bhattacharjee resigned, which means Bengal has the first official, post-election lameduck chief minister in three decades. Such a situation — common in other states — has stirred questions about the powers of Bhattacharjee, who will head the state government till Mamata Banerjee is sworn in on or before Wednesday. Senior bureaucrats and Election Commission officials said that even if a major incident — a terror attack or an earthquake — were to take place between now and the oath-taking day, the executive arm will operate under the guidance of Bhattacharjee. "The administration will be run by the bureaucracy under the guidance of Buddhababu," said a senior official. The officials in the government as well as the Election Commission said Bhattacharjee need not consult Mamata but little prevents him from doing so either. The officials said there was no provision in the Constitution or the Representation of the People Act (1950) "necessitating" the caretaker chief minister to consult the "chief minister-in waiting". "If he (Bhattacharjee) does consult Mamata, it will be out of courtesy, a show of respect to the head of the party which has won the mandate," said a senior bureaucrat of the chief minister's secretariat. A Nirvachan Sadan official pointed out how, in 2008, President George W. Bush had consulted President-elect Barack Obama before enacting the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) — a government programme to buy assets and equity from financial institutions to strengthen the financial sector — during the financial crisis. "If Bush could, why can't Bhattacharjee?" he asked, perhaps unaware of the bitterness in political relations in Bengal. According to a senior Election Commission official in New Delhi, as long as the model code of conduct is in place, the bureaucracy operates "practically independent" of the ministers. "The ministers cannot take any decision to change government policy. That has been the situation since March 1," he told The Telegraph. A PTI report said the Election Commission withdrew the model code of conduct today. Bhattacharjee, according to the norms, did not need to resign yesterday itself. He has to carry on as the caretaker chief minister till Wednesday. "Which is exactly what he (Bhattacharjee) has been asked to do by governor M.K. Narayanan," said a bureaucrat. Following the Left's victories in the Assembly elections of 1982 onwards, chief ministers Basu and Bhattacharjee did not have to resign as they were to form the next government each time, though they had to take fresh oath. "Yesterday was the first time a Left Front chief minister offered his resignation for being voted out of power in Bengal. It was a historic moment," said an official of the chief minister's secretariat. "The governor will ask Mamata if she has any preferences on the timing or the venue of the swearing-in ceremony. Her wishes will be conveyed to chief secretary Samar Ghosh, who will make arrangements for the ceremony," said a Writers' official. As soon as the ceremony is over, the new government will assume charge of Bengal. Whiff of politburo allergy relapse | | OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT |  | | Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee |
Calcutta, May 14: Uncertainty has crept into Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's participation in the CPM politburo meeting in Delhi on Monday, raising the possibility of a throwback to the situation that followed the Left debacle in the Lok Sabha polls two years ago. "It's still undecided whether he will go to Delhi, though the ticket has been booked," an official of the chief minister's secretariat said in response to a question. CPM sources have said the outgoing chief minister "isn't in a mood'' to confront the party's central leadership and general secretary Prakash Karat after the Assembly election debacle. "It is not always a necessity that all the politburo members of Bengal will have to attend the meeting. But Buddhada is not in the right mood now. He steered the party in this election… he lost…our party lost. Bimanda (state CPM secretary Biman Bose) will attend the politburo meeting and submit a preliminary report on the party's performance in the election. So, what more would Buddhada have to tell Karat? The party secretary will be going… that's enough,'' a source said. Outgoing industries minister Nirupam Sen, who like Bhattacharjee lost the election, may also stay away from the politburo meeting but for last-minute changes in his itinerary. After the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Bhattacharjee had skipped a couple of party politburo meetings in Delhi. However, the official reason cited then was the chief minister didn't want to leave station because of post-poll violence in the districts. The CPM has scheduled a state committee meeting in Calcutta on Tuesday to hold "preliminary discussions'' on the poll results. CPM sources said the politburo was likely to discuss the nature of relationship the Bengal party unit will maintain with the new Trinamul government. A section of the party feels an "obstructionist'' role inside and outside the Assembly can prove counter-productive. This section feels that the Mamata Banerjee government should be allowed a "one-year honeymoon time'' before going hammer and tongs at it. "Our party as a whole thinks that the new government should get at least a year to prove its worth. Our party leaders don't want to appear on television after yesterday's poll verdict. Their view is that people will not like to hear what CPM will be saying now. They will only want to know about the new Trinamul government's development plans. So, we better behave responsibly,'' said a CPM leader. If this line prevails, it will also mean rejecting Gautam Deb's stand that the party should follow the "Mamata model'' of not co-operating and opposing any and every development project. Deb, who was defeated by a big margin, had initially talked about the Left's need to follow such a model as an Opposition party. But the CPM leadership has "restrained'' him from making such remarks. The rejection of Deb's stand partly came out in Bose's comment that the Left would play the role of a responsible Opposition and co-operate with the new government on "pro-people issues''. Lonely ride, minus safety fleet
Buddha in ordinary car, cops keep discreet vigil | | KINSUK BASU |  | | Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee |
Calcutta, May 14: Around 10 this morning, an elderly gentleman in a white dhoti-kurta stepped out of his Palm Avenue home, walked a few paces and got into an ordinary white Ambassador. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had set off for his party headquarters at Alimuddin Street, but it was a lonely drive. No flashing red bulb, no wailing siren to clear the way, nor the usual fleet of four security vehicles — a pilot car in front followed by two escort cars and a tail car at the end. Only two Special Branch cars trailed the outgoing chief minister of Bengal, but they followed at a distance of over 200 metres — so far away you couldn't make out if they were shadowing a VIP. There was enough space for several vehicles to come between Bhattacharjee's Ambassador and the Special Branch cars. His car was not even bullet-proof. But that was how Bhattacharjee had wanted it. On Friday afternoon, around 1.40, soon after returning home from Raj Bhavan where he had gone to submit his resignation, Bhattacharjee had called the police officers escorting him and asked them to withdraw the "bullet-proof car". "Aapnader aar ashtey hobey na. Aamar ekhon aar ei shob dorkar nei (You don't need to come any more. I don't need all this any more)," he reportedly told his personal security officer. The PSO immediately called up his superiors in the Special Branch. After a meeting, led by joint police commissioner (Intelligence), it was decided that Bhattacharjee's wish would be respected and the security ring, along with the bullet-proof car, withdrawn. "The front and the tail car, along with the other covers, have been withdrawn in keeping with Bhattacherjee's wish. But he remains a Z-plus-category person and so a car will continue to shadow him from a distance," said a senior Special Branch officer. The difference between Z and Z-plus categories was primarily a bullet-proof car, security experts said, adding that other aspects, like the number of security personnel and cars in a convoy, remain the same. In Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, Pranab Mukherjee and Subhas Ghising fall in the Z-plus category, though the Trinamul Congress chief has so far refused a bullet-proof car. CPM insiders said that soon after the Left Front's rout, Bhattacharjee had requested the party to provide him with a car so that he didn't have to use the government's bullet-proof vehicle. The party bosses agreed and sent him a white Ambassador (WB 06 4053) when he wanted to visit the party headquarters yesterday afternoon. Bhattacharjee returned in the same car around 9.15pm. "If someone refuses, we can't force him to take a bullet-proof car. You can try and reason with him. But if he insists — as Mamata Banerjee insisted on not taking a bullet-proof car — then the matter is reported to the state committee that reviews VIP security and also to the Union home ministry," a police officer said. Bhattacharjee had also reportedly asked for the police picket outside his residence to be withdrawn, but that has not happened yet. Sources in Lalbazar said their bosses were not convinced it was the right time to withdraw the cover entirely. So the picket — made up of officers from the Special Branch and Special Action Force commandos — remains outside the Palm Avenue building, where former Pradesh Congress Committee chief Pradip Bhattacharjee also stays. "It's unlikely this force, posted outside his house, will be withdrawn till the new cabinet is sworn in. The guard rail on the road leading to the house has been withdrawn though," said an officer of Karaya police station, which covers the VIP zone. "The mandatory patrolling around his house will also gradually come down." Unlike Mamata, Bhattacharjee seldom travelled without his bullet-proof car. The few occasions he did were when he campaigned across Jadavpur this time. The car was brought from the Ordinance Factory, Medak, in Andhra Pradesh, soon after Bhattacharjee was sworn in chief minister in 2000. The decision followed alerts from intelligence agencies, which put him in the Z-plus category. A reluctant Bhattacharjee had given in following persistent requests from senior security officials. In March 2006, after the Left's victory in Bengal, a Rs 2-crore plan was drawn up to redo Bhattacharjee's security. Two years later, in November 2008, Bhattacharjee had a close shave in Salboni, West Midnapore, when a blast missed the car he was travelling in. Prize for Red-turned-green - Left citadels that voted Trinamul to be rewarded during ministry formation | | OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT | Calcutta, May 14: Talent and expertise will count when Mamata Banerjee picks her ministers, but so will the need to have "regional representation". Trinamul sources said that not only would every district have a minister but Red bastions that elected several Trinamul candidates would be suitably "rewarded". They cited the example of north Bengal, a one-time Left citadel where Trinamul contested 26 seats and won 16. "Four years ago, Trinamul had only one MLA from the region but this time we have done extremely well," a source said. "Even a regional titan like Asok Bhattacharya lost from Siliguri." So, giant-slayer Rudranath Bhattacharjee, a doctor and former dean of North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri, could be rewarded with the post of junior health minister. Darjeeling district Trinamul president Gautam Deb too could make it to the ministry given his knowledge of the hills' problems. The sources said there was every possibility of former chief secretary Manish Gupta, who defeated chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, landing a ministry. Gupta, though, expressed his "disinclination" saying that it was "enough" for him to serve his constituency, Jadavpur, as an MLA. "I have not come here to become a minister. I am not interested," he told The Telegraph. Jungle Mahal, which elected seven Trinamul candidates, could see one of them become a minister to help deal with the situation there. This post, the sources said, could go to Salboni MLA Srikanta Mahato. "Burdwan too will be rewarded for rejecting many Left stalwarts," a source said. Trinamul leaders said that if the Congress joins the government, it is unlikely to get more than six berths: two cabinet ministers and the rest ministers of state. "From whatever we have been told, Didi would keep her ministry small, perhaps within 30," a party leader said. "Since she has to accommodate several interests within this number, it will not be possible to make room for more than six Congress ministers." Party sources said that after the death of theatre personality Badal Sircar yesterday, MLA Bratya Basu, who is associated with the theatre and is eyeing the information and culture minister's job, wanted to place a wreath on Trinamul's behalf. But, they added, Mamata made it clear whom she had in mind for the post when she insisted that party secretary-general Partha Chatterjee place the wreath. The first meeting of the Trinamul legislature party will be held tomorrow with all the 184 MLAs as well as party MPs and other senior leaders expected to attend. The legislature party will elect Mamata as its leader so she can take over as chief minister. Before that, Mamata will resign as railway minister. The swearing-in is likely on May 18. Although security reasons may foil Mamata's plans to take oath at the Brigade Parade Ground, the new chief minister is likely to later address a rally at the Brigade, associated more with the Left. "There are plans for a victory rally at Brigade. She is the undisputed leader of the people of Bengal and they want to hear her," a senior Trinamul leader said. Party leaders were today chalking out the details of Mamata's meeting with the legislators, most of whom are new to politics and governance. The MLAs from the districts have been asked to reach Calcutta by Sunday morning. Many of those from neighbouring districts reached Mamata's home this afternoon and were introduced to the crowds waiting outside. Trinamul general secretary Mukul Roy was at Mamata's home through the day. Trinamul sources said the MLAs would have to identify the problems faced by the people of their districts and prepare a report. Mamata will visit the districts before drawing up development plans. "We have representatives in all the districts who would be able to tell us which problems to prioritise. She (Mamata) has lots of plans and a deadline has been set for each. Work has to start immediately though the results will take time to show," a party leader said. Mamata hopes to speed up industrialisation in the districts and improve basic amenities like infrastructure, health and education. Her immediate concern is to prevent political clashes, especially in areas where Trinamul has gained strength. "Our MPs, MLAs and other leaders have been told to help maintain law and order. Being the ruling party now, our responsibilities have increased. Till the new government takes charge, we have to be extra cautious," a Trinamul leader said. Death in Left pocket, arrests on both sides | | OUR CORRESPONDENT | | Midnapore, May 14: A CPM zonal committee member who was beaten up this morning was hacked to death hours later in West Midnapore's Goaltore by alleged Trinamul Congress activists as violence flared in the troubled zone. Police said several incidents of clashes had been reported from elsewhere in the district, raising fears of a spurt in tit-for-tat attacks barely a day after the Assembly poll results. Over two dozen people, including 20 CPM and five Trinamul supporters, had been arrested till this evening, police sources said, adding that 30 improvised guns and revolvers had been seized from them. West Midnapore police chief Manoj Verma said Jiten Nandi, 55, from neighbouring Garbeta, was attacked twice. "He was beaten up at his home in Moita village by five persons. Villagers took him to the Goaltore block primary health centre, where he was treated and discharged," the SP said. "Around noon, miscreants attacked him in his house again, this time with sharp weapons. He was killed on the spot. An FIR was lodged by local CPM leaders in which two Trinamul activists were named." CPM district secretariat member Dahareswar Sen said "Trinamul activists carried out the attack" on Nandi. Since last night, incidents of violence were reported from Dantan, Garbeta, Chandrakona and Keshpur , all of them places retained by the Left. While the CPI won from Dantan, the CPM won in Garbeta, Chandrakona and Keshpur. Police sources said Trinamul workers ransacked three CPM offices and nearly 20 houses belonging to CPM supporters in villages in Dantan, Garbeta, Goaltore and Chandrakona. "Eight CPM activists were injured in these incidents," a police officer said. Trinamul district chairperson Mrigen Maity said "no Trinamul worker was involved" in these incidents of violence. "We have asked our party workers and supporters to restrain themselves and maintain peace in the area. I again appeal to Trinamul workers to ensure peace." In Keshpur, a Trinamul supporter received a pellet injury in his leg when he was shot at by suspected CPM activists. "The 20 CPM men we arrested had arms with them and they were handed over to us by Trinamul supporters," a police officer said. "We are investigating the matter." Sources said the weapons seized included single-barrelled guns and country-made pistols. CPM leader Sen said Trinamul supporters "planted arms" on our supporters and then handed them over to the police. "Several party offices have been ransacked and our supporters are being attacked. We are scared that the dark days of the early 1970s will return as CPM men are being targeted systematically," he said. The SP said joint forces had been sent to eight villages from where incidents of violence had been reported. Gag order after Mollah jab
- CPM leaders asked not to criticise party | | OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT |  | | Abdur Rezzak Mollah |
Calcutta, May 14: The CPM has asked its district units to alert party workers and leaders against publicly criticising the leadership, sources said. The party fears that any critical comments so soon after the election rout can cause "cracks" in the organisation and encourage many demoralised cadres to leave, the CPM sources added. The message to the districts comes following the jibes that outgoing land and land reforms minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah took at Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Nirupam Sen yesterday. "At a time thousands of our supporters are downcast, it will hurt our organisation if any leader or cadre speaks out against the party in public. That may cause cracks in the party," a source in CPM headquarters Alimuddin Street said. "That's why the leadership has asked the district units to alert cadres and leaders not to open their mouths… not to criticise the party." Yesterday, Mollah had been asked whether the outgoing chief minister's land acquisition policy was responsible for the CPM's debacle. He had replied: "Hele shaap dhorte pare na, keute dhorte gechhe (can't catch a harmless snake but rushed to catch a cobra)." Asked whether he was pointing fingers at outgoing industries minister Nirupam Sen, too, Mollah had remarked: "Arre, oi to nater guru… ota harbe ta bishwer ardhek lok janto(he is the villain of the piece… half the people in the world knew he would lose)." The CPM leadership fears that such public comments can lead to an exodus by the ranks, particularly in districts that witnessed a Trinamul Congress sweep: North and South 24-Parganas, Calcutta, Howrah, Hooghly, East Midnapore and Burdwan. The Left has lost from 115 of the 134 Assembly constituencies spread across these districts. "In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Left had led from 22 Assembly segments in these seven districts. We won only 19 this time, which implies our strength has reduced further," a CPM state committee member said. "Now, if the leaders start criticising each other, the media will lap it up. That will make our men more demoralised. They will either become inactive or leave." In the middle of such fears, sources said, the CPM's ongoing rectification drive may hit a wall. Some party lobbies feel that after the poll disaster, it would be "difficult'' to keep the cadres on a leash. They believe that power had been the glue that had held the organisation together, and that staying out of government might loosen the bonds between the party and many of its foot soldiers. "The rectification drive was launched to weed out undesirable elements from the party, lay down the norms of discipline and initiate action against errant workers. But this process will virtually stop now as our party has its back to the wall. There's no point weakening the party further,'' a CPM leader said. Left-free day for neighbours | | CHANDREYEE CHATTERJEE |  | | (From left) Neighbours Sanjit Shaw, Rakhi Das, Arindam Haldar and Jagadish Das. Pictures by Bishwarup Dutta |
Calcutta, May 14: Like any other day, Arindam Haldar opened his medicine store at the entrance to Harish Chatterjee Street at 9 this morning. But there seemed to be a new spring in the 30-something man's steps. "How can it be the same as every other day? This is the first day of my life in a Left-free Bengal and the reason for that is right next door," Mamata Banerjee's neighbour said. His sentiments appeared to be widely shared among the residents and shopkeepers at the Kalighat street where the Trinamul Congress chief lives. Sure, they went about their usual business like other days, yet everything seemed a little different. Gone were yesterday's crowds, the green-smeared men and women sporting Trinamul caps, umbrellas and saris, yet some vestiges remained from that street carnival. The loudspeakers were still playing Rabindrasangeet early this morning and party flags lined the road. Haldar had spent most of yesterday out of his shop, dancing with those celebrating Trinamul's landslide election victory. Yes, he lost business but he didn't care. "Today, you won't be able to imagine the madness that prevailed here yesterday. The entire locality was out on the street and there was green everywhere," said Rakhi Das, 20, who lives down the lane from Mamata's. The Jogomaya College student spent the whole of this morning doing household chores but hoped the celebrations would resume after sunset. "Can you imagine it? Now I am going to be a neighbour of the chief minister," she giggled. At 30A Harish Chatterjee Street, one house away from Mamata's, small-time businessman Jagadish Das lounged in his room watching TV after lunch, much like he does every day. Yet the 55-year-old's day had just that little touch of thrill and awe to make it different. Das, who has seen Mamata since she was a child, could not hide his pride at a "parar meye" (neighbourhood girl) pulling off such a feat. "I only wish she had been able to do this sooner. A lot of lives would have been saved," he said. If Haldar lost business yesterday, Mamata has been a boon for grocer Sanjit Shaw. The journalists who camp at the Trinamul leader's door look no further than Shaw's Ashok Stores, set a few yards away, for biscuits, water and cold drinks. Yesterday, Shaw's profits had doubled as thousands streamed into the neighbourhood to celebrate. "I don't think life will be the same for us. She is the chief minister, after all. This place is sure to become more developed," he said, his shaven head still green. The sense of jubilation was more palpable at 30B Harish Chatterjee Street, the epicentre of the change. People from across the state began arriving at the compound from as early as 8am to catch a glimpse of the "first woman chief minister of Bengal". By noon, the trickle had turned into a steady stream. Mamata stepped out at 3pm to shake hands and speak to the visitors, whose numbers kept growing till late in the day. | |
| Bruised Left finds fuel to play protest politics | | J.P. YADAV |  | | Sitaram Yechury |
New Delhi, May 14: A day after their worst electoral drubbing, Left parties are back in a vigorous agitational mode courtesy the steep hike in petrol prices. The Left finds itself suddenly rejuvenated and might call a nationwide bandh following consultations with partners and like-minded parties on Monday. "This is the UPA's gift to the people a day after they voted for them," said CPM leader Sitaram Yechury. "We are announcing nationwide protests tomorrow." Asked if the Left plans to call a bandh, he said: "We would like to. But we shall talk to our allies before deciding." However, the Bengal CPM did not appear keen on a bandh — a form of protest Mamata Banerjee has disowned for the past few years. "There's no question of calling bandhs. But we will protest the Central government's anti-people move to hike petrol prices or that of diesel and cooking gas," CPM Bengal secretary Biman Bose said. "We will hold street-corner meetings to make the people aware of the Centre's adverse policies," a CPM leader said in Calcutta. The hike comes a day after the Left's defeat in Bengal and Kerala. Left leaders allege the UPA was only waiting for the results to fling the "burden" on the people. "We had been forewarning the people about this anti-people measure but nobody heard us," a CPI leader said, wondering why the voter still handed them such a raw deal. "This is the deception of the people and we will hit the streets against it," CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan said. The Left sees the hike as a shot in its arm just when many had begun to write it off. Yechury said the party would not wait for Monday's politburo meeting to announce its protest programme. "Of course this will come up in the politburo, but we are going ahead with nationwide protests from tomorrow itself." The disastrous showing of the Left in Bengal is likely to cast its shadow on the politburo, though. Apparently upset with the central leadership, Bengal stalwarts like Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Nirupam Sen are likely to skip the meet. Two giant killers focus on road ahead
- Manish: No interest in ministerial berth | | SHUBHAJOY ROY |  | | Manish Gupta walks down the stairs of his Garia home on Saturday. (Sanat Kumar Sinha) |
Calcutta, May 14: Manish Gupta, the Trinamul Congress candidate and former bureaucrat who defeated Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, today said he was "not interested" in a ministerial berth. "I have not entered politics to become a minister," Gupta said, sipping cold drink at a Trinamul office in Jadavpur, his constituency. Asked what he will do if he is offered a key berth, he replied: "I am not interested." Gupta, a former chief secretary who had served under Bhattacharjee, said he wanted to work for the development of Jadavpur. "The Left had done nothing for this constituency," he said. It is widely believed that many of the economists, artistes, retired bureaucrats and policemen whom Mamata Banerjee had fielded will be inducted into the government. Gupta, 69, said he had not been able to speak to the Trinamul chief till this afternoon. "I had tried several times yesterday. But the (phone) lines were jammed. I plan to meet her this evening" Gupta said, sitting in the Garfa party office, where he met local Trinamul leaders and workers for the first time since his victory yesterday. The new Jadavpur MLA stepped out of his Gariahat home at 11.10am and headed straight to the party office. Around 30 party workers greeted him as soon as he stepped out of his car. Gupta visited other Trinamul offices in the area too. Supporters waited in front of each party office to meet him. Some embraced him, while several others touched his feet, addressing him as "sir". Gupta, however, appeared unfazed by all the adulation and maintained his composure. He smiled and greeted back the supporters and patted some of them. There was no green aabir. The chanting of "vande mataram" could be heard only once or twice. The former chief secretary said he was yet to come to terms with the importance his party attached to his victory. "I have received 800 text messages since the election results were announced yesterday evening. So many people called up that I could not receive around 600 calls. People around me are saying that defeating the Left in Jadavpur is historic. But frankly speaking, it is yet to sink in for me," Gupta said. As he spoke, another call arrived on his cellphone. Gupta had kept it on silent mode to avoid repeated distractions. Many of the Trinamul supporters he met today requested him to open an office in the constituency where he could listen to the grievances of the people. They also requested that their new MLA arrange for potable drinking water in all parts of Jadavpur, a long-standing demand of the residents. Winding back in time, Gupta spoke about the day Mamata requested him to contest the elections. "I remember, it was around 12.30pm. Mamata Banerjee called me and offered me a ticket from Jadavpur. Although the party gave me the chance of opting for some other seat, I decided to contest from Jadavpur," he said. Gupta said he had "taken the initiative to get in touch with the Trinamul leadership and join the party". He said his four decade-long tenure as a government servant could come in handy for Trinamul. "A strong message needs to be sent to bureaucrats that we want an efficient and impartial administration," he said. Amit works on fiscal revival | | SANJAY MANDAL |  | | Amit Mitra in front of his Tollygunge home on Saturday. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya |
Calcutta, May 14: Amit Mitra, who has been entrusted with the challenging responsibility of pulling Bengal out of the fiscal mess, appeared relaxed a day after his victory. "I will be relaxing today. I will meet some close friends and relatives," said Mitra, who defeated finance minister Asim Dasgupta in Khardah on a Trinamul ticket. The Ficci secretary-general, who is tipped to be the next finance minister, said he had visited Mamata's Kalighat home yesterday evening. "She congratulated me. But I told her that I should congratulate her instead for the tsunami she has brought in Bengal," Mitra said. Trinamul sources said the two did not merely exchange pleasantries but "discussed serious issues" such as measures to bail the state out of the financial crisis. Bengal's total outstanding liabilities are now over Rs 1.98 lakh crore, making it one of the most indebted states in the country. The sources said Mitra had been "assigned two tasks" — to defeat Dasgupta and then prepare a roadmap to rejuvenate the economy. They said that even before completing his first task, Mitra had started working on the second. Mamata, the sources said, had asked him to start work on the financial targets she had set in the 200-day action plan in her manifesto. Mamata had said that her government would focus on employment generation and industrial revival. The manifesto lay special emphasis on micro, small and medium industries. "For every Trinamul MLA, Mamata Banerjee's vision document (part if the manifesto) will be the cornerstone," Mitra said. Sources close to Mitra said he had already started the hunt for potential investors in Bengal from across the country and abroad. He had told the NRI industrialists who called him up to congratulate him on his victory that "mere greetings would not do" and that they "would have to invest in Bengal". The sources said Mitra knew the who's who of India Inc and he planned to use his connections to revive the state's economy. "Many professionals, business leaders and CEOs have appreciated the fact that I joined Mamata in her endeavour to regenerate Bengal," Mitra said. Among those who have called him since yesterday is planning commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Mitra said his relatives and party workers had also congratulated him. "My sisters and a cousin celebrated my victory with some party workers yesterday. Party workers and supporters have been coming to my Khardah flat in droves. My wife Meera has been managing everything, from offering them sweets to arranging lunch for everybody," he said. Mitra said one of his sisters had called him from California to greet him. He said his 96-year-old aunt Latika Ghosh, who lives in his Tollygunge home, had been "praying" for his victory. Advani phone calls | | OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT |  | | Advani in Delhi on Saturday. (PTI) |
New Delhi, May 14: L.K. Advani called up Mamata Banerjee and Jayalalithaa to congratulate them on their victories yesterday but while the former did not receive the call, the latter answered "promptly". When the BJP leader called up Mamata, he was told the Trinamul Congress chief was "busy". "I had given her a call but perhaps she was busy," Advani told journalists on the sidelines of a programme at his Delhi home this evening. Jayalalithaa, however, promptly came on the line. Advani said he told the AIADMK chief that had the DMK won in Tamil Nadu, it would have sent a "very bad message" to the country. "The people of Tamil Nadu are the ones most affected by corruption because the major actors are out there. So I am extremely gratified with the results," he said. Both Mamata and Jayalalithaa were former BJP allies. While Jayalalithaa had supported the NDA from 1998 to 1999, Mamata had joined the Atal Behari Vajpayee-led coalition in 1999 and became railway minister. Neither went back to the BJP after parting ways with the party although Jayalalithaa had sent occasional feelers to some leaders. In January 2008, she had hosted Narendra Modi at her Chennai home a few days after he became Gujarat chief minister for the second time. She was present in Gandhinagar when he was sworn in. Modi was among those who wished Jayalalithaa on Friday. BJP sources in Gujarat said she told Modi that she would want to emulate in Tamil Nadu his "model of development and administration". Singur hopes to get back 400 acres | | UTTAM DUTTA |  | | Singur residents walk past the abandoned Nano plant on Friday. Picture by Ananda Das |
Singur, May 14: Manasi Manna of Singur hopes that Mamata Banerjee will return her one-acre plot, which had been acquired for the Nano project, after taking charge as chief minister. "My husband and I used to cultivate the land. We used to get three crops a year. We never had to worry about food. Everything came from that land. But after it was forcibly taken away for the small-car project, I have been forced to make bidis while my husband works as a labourer on someone else's field," said Manasi, who lives about 100 metres from the abandoned Tata project site. "We used to support the CPM earlier. But we became disillusioned after the party snatched our land. We joined the anti land-acquisition movement led by Mamata. I was even arrested and spent four days in jail. Mamata had promised to return the land of unwilling farmers if she came to power. We will be grateful to her if she keeps her promise," Manasi said. Her remarks found echoes in the voices of several unwilling farmers in Singur. Mamata, whose sustained protest against forcible land acquisition gave the initial impetus to her political revival, had repeatedly promised to return to the unwilling farmers 400 of the 997 acres acquired for the project. Panchu Manna, a 78-year-old farmer whose one-and-a-half-acre plot was acquired for the project, said he would not have survived had his two sons not been working. "I would have starved to death after my land was taken away. One of my sons is a jeweller in Delhi. The other is a carpenter. I am looking forward to the day when Mamata returns my plot to me," Panchu said. "I don't mind if a factory comes up on the remaining 600 acres," he, however, added. Housewife Krishna Bag, 30, whose husband's one-acre plot was acquired, said: "I was jailed for four days for participating in the anti land-acquisition movement. I had taken my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter with me to jail. We are happy that Mamata has come to power. Now, we want her to fulfil her promise." Becharam Manna, the newly elected Trinamul MLA from neighbouring Haripal, said land had been "forcibly taken from nearly 2,900 villagers". "Tomorrow, I will meet Mamatadi and convey to her the villagers' request," he added. Many Singur residents yesterday worshipped at the Kali temple located inside the compound of the abandoned Nano plant after Trinamul's victory in the elections. Tamper charge Trinamul has decided to challenge the election results for Burdwan's Mangalkot constituency, alleging that the postal ballot papers were tampered with. CPM's Sahajahan Chowdhury won the seat by 126 votes by defeating Trinamul's Apurba Chowdhury. Be our MLA: Nandi to Didi - Cradles of land movement urge Mamata to fulfil promises | | ANSHUMAN PHADIKAR |  | | Firoza Bibi flashes the victory symbol in Nandigram. (Jahangir Badsa) | Nandigram, May 14: While campaigning in Nandigram last month, Mamata Banerjee had said she would make the place her address if she got the opportunity. Today, the residents, led by local MLA Firoza Bibi, appealed to the Trinamul Congress chief to "keep her promise". "Mamata Banerjee had led the protest against land acquisition in Nandigram. She had said in a campaign rally a few days ago that she wanted to make Nandigram her address. We appeal to her to contest from Nandigram and become an MLA from here. I am ready to vacate my seat for her. We also request her to spend more time with us," said Firoza, whose son Imdadul was one of those killed in the police firing on March 14, 2007. On April 28, Mamata had held a campaign rally in East Midnapore's Nandigram, which had served as the launch pad of her anti land-acquisition movement and turned around her political fortunes. At the meeting, she had hinted that she might contest the by-poll from Nandigram if her party won the Assembly elections. "If I get the opportunity, Nandigram will become my address," Mamata had said. Mamata, who did not contest the elections, will need to get elected as an MLA within six months to be chief minister. Abu Taher, the deputy chief of the Trinamul-led panchayat samiti in Nandigram block-I, said the people of the area would be "forever grateful" to Mamata if chose to contest from Nandigram and "made this place her home". "I sent Mamata a text message this morning requesting her to fulfil her promise. She is very busy now. We will meet her and make the request after she is sworn in chief minister," Taher said. Trinamul leaders in Nandigram held a meeting this morning and decided that a delegation would visit 30B Harish Chatterjee Street soon. "After the poll results were announced yesterday, a large number of villagers urged us to approach Mamata with the request that she contest from here. She will become the first woman chief minister of Bengal. She is the person who managed to end the Left's 34-year rule in Bengal. The people of Nandigram want to be part of this history. So we want Didi to become an MLA from this place," said Sheikh Sufiyan, a local Trinamul functionary. Soumya Kanti Jana, the son of police firing victim Supriya, said the people of Nandigram had got justice in the form of Mamata's victory. "We wanted the CPM to be driven out of power. We have got justice," said Soumya, 21. Haimabati Haldar, 55, whose husband had suffered a bullet injury in his stomach in the firing, said: "Mamata bore the entire cost of my husband's treatment. We want Mamata to become our representative." IN HER HANDS, THE FUTURE - Mamata's slogan of change and popular anger come together | | Rudrangshu Mukherjee | Change cannot be divorced from human agency. Only a very crude determinism attempts such a separation. The results of the elections to the West Bengal assembly are products of human thought and action. The Left Front has been voted out and Mamata Banerjee voted in because millions of people not only wanted it that way but also because they went to the polling booths to demonstrate their choice. The results are not the products of absentmindedness on the part of the voters, neither are they an accidental outcome of collective choice. The verdict is too overwhelming and comprehensive to be either. Quite apart from the victory of Mamata Banerjee, this historic election also represents a triumph of human will and agency. The point is important since for a better part of the past 34 years, a concerted attempt had been made by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to dominate human agency and to make human beings subservient to the diktats of the party and its cadre. From the above generalizations two related questions follow. One, what made the people of West Bengal wait over three decades to assert their will and to overthrow the CPI(M)? And two, why did they choose Mamata Banerjee and her party, the Trinamul Congress, as their preferred instrument to show the Left the door? The second question is easier to answer than the first, so I will begin with that. In spite of the overall dominance of the Left in West Bengal since 1977, voting figures show that a substantial body of electors in every election cast their ballots against the Left. This number hovered somewhere around 40 per cent of the total number of votes cast in each election. This suggests that over the years there existed in West Bengal a body of voters who were not happy with the way the Left ruled the state or were ideologically not inclined to support a political formation that was associated with some form of communism. The expectations of these voters could not get adequate representation because of the failures of the political party that since independence was the only force opposed to the rise of communist power and influence in West Bengal, that is, the Indian National Congress. The Congress in West Bengal from the 1980s had no important leader who could appeal and reach out to the people. The Congress national leadership was not too concerned about the plight of the West Bengal unit of the party. The one important figure within the Congress who came from the state was Pranab Mukherjee who, till the other day, could not win a Lok Sabha seat from West Bengal and when he finally did, it was because he had the support of the Left. The Congress in West Bengal had little or no credibility, and the perception was that many of the local leaders had made their own deals with the Left. Under these circumstances, one figure and one voice stood out. The figure was that of a woman and the voice was shrill. Through many vicissitudes of fortune Mamata Banerjee refused to compromise with the Left. She was relentless in her opposition to Left rule in West Bengal even when this meant that she was in a hopeless minority or even when many people suspected her motives and criticized her behaviour. Even her enemies and her critics were forced to recognize her as the sole spokesman of anti-Left opinion in West Bengal. The bhadralok, for reasons of class and gender, took their time to accept this, but they had no other option. This is one of the reasons for her growing popularity. But the significance of this factor should not lead to an underestimation of her skills as a politician, her uncanny ability to stay with the people and to feel their mood, her nerves as a negotiator and so on. She was not born with charisma but she acquired it through her hard work or, it could be said, she had charisma thrust upon her. It is an old philosophical premise that no identity can be affirmed without its Other. Following from this, it could be said that Mamata Banerjee's identity as the sole spokesman would not have been possible without the powerful existence of the Left. Last Sunday, a veteran and committed supporter of the CPI(M) told me, "The greatest achievement of the Left Front in West Bengal is the making of Mamata Banerjee." There was irony and bitterness in the statement but it is difficult to imagine Mamata Banerjee and her present status without the existence of her arch adversary, the CPI(M). The upsurge of popular discontent against the Left of which this election results are a manifestation must be seen for the purpose of analysis at two distinct but related levels. One is at the level of trends — something traceable over a period of time; and the other is, events — incidents that aggravated the trend of decline. The dominance of the Left, especially that of the CPI(M), was articulated through two instruments — control and terror. The CPI(M) tried to control every sphere of life in West Bengal by using the power of the State, by making every single institution (bureaucracy, educational establishments, hospitals, panchayats, municipal bodies, unions, the local clubs and so on) subservient to the party. Where the attempts failed or were resisted, the CPI(M) used terror through its cadre. This created discontent which was muted or even suppressed. This use of terror, not unexpected from a Stalinist party, was the hallmark of the Left's tenure in West Bengal and this will be the remembrance mark of the Left despite its many much-flaunted achievements. At the level of events, the most crucial episode was the violence in Nandigram in 2007 where the CPI(M), in an act of revenge and retaliation, unleashed a reign of terror. The party wanted to regain lost turf and it used armed cadre and the state police to achieve its ends. Many of the victims of this violence were poor peasants and farmers who had at one time supported the Left and had then felt threatened by the government's policy of land acquisition. The violence produced shock and dismay, especially among the intelligentsia, most of whom had since 1977 been advocates of Left rule. The intelligentsia and members of civil society came out in protest against the government's and the CPI(M)'s shameless use of force and terror. This was a turning point. The people of West Bengal began to realize that it was possible and necessary to stand up against the Left's arrogance and misrule. It was the beginning of the end. It was almost natural that this rising anger of the people would look for a political face and find it in Mamata Banerjee who had been fighting the CPI(M)'s arrogance and use of force for over a decade. There was a coming together of this popular anger and Mamata's image as the sole spokesman of anti-Left opinion and politics in West Bengal. Mamata's charisma is grounded in this merger. Mamata Banerjee's particular purpose comprehended the substantial content of the people's anger and desire for change. They flocked to her banner. She became the instrument of their agency. Any change has embedded in it an element of uncertainty. Mamata Banerjee's endeavour to refashion the present history of West Bengal cannot escape its historical context. She will inevitably feel the dead hand of the past. As the chief minister, she will be expected to exercise choice without fear or prejudice. Will she be able to do that? The cynics will say, the more things change, the more they remain the same. The optimists will respond with the words of the poet, "There is only the fight to recover what has been lost... there is only the trying." West Bengal waits, caught in the cusp of history. | | 1977 to 2011: Worlds Apart | | 34 things that have changed in Calcutta and beyond | | Elvis was still singing, Indira Gandhi had just lifted the Emergency, Calcutta didn't have a Bypass and Ajit Tendulkar had not yet enrolled his brother Sachin for cricket classes when the Left Front was voted to power in June 1977. Metro traces some of the changes that have taken place since. | [+uc('What would you add to the list? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com ')
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