The Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party had faced off aggressively during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. While campaigning, Mamata Banerjee had called Narendra Modi, Danga Babu (Mr Riot), said he was a “donkey” for getting his facts wrong, taken a dig at his relationship with his wife and, after the Bharatiya Janata Party won the elections, even refused to attend Modi’s swearing-in ceremony.
This war continued once the Bharatiya Janata Party assumed power in Delhi. Amit Shah, coming in to campaign for by-elections, would take aim at Trinamool, at a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party looked to be growing by leaps and bounds in the state
Politics, though, is a fast-paced game. After months of confrontation, however, events since March indicate a definite thawing of relations between Mamata Banerjee and the BJP.
On March 10, Mamata Banerjee stopped her boycott of Modi and met him for the first time since he became prime minister, the stated aim of the meeting being a discussion around West Bengal’s finances. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), however, decided to read more into this event. “As I have said before, there is an under the table settlement between Bharatiya Janata Party and TMC. Both the parties are ready. They are just weighing their conditions,” said the Left Front chairman, Biman Bose.
Bose may not have been that far off the mark. Events since then, leading up to the end-April civic polls in Bengal, have shown the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party seeming to come together. Here are some instances of their growing teamwork:
1. Saradha scam investigation slow down
After attacking the Trinamool Congress over the massive Ponzi scheme with alleged links to top party leaders, the BJP-led Central government slowed things down considerably. Three of the main accused were let off on bail in February and Trinamool member of parliament Mukul Roy, a close aide of Banerjee, wasn’t arrested at all, in spite of strong prima facie links with the case.
2. Ceasefire over the the Burdwan Blast
On October 2 2014, a blast in a house in Burdwan district, West Bengal killed two people and injured a third. With terror accusations being levelled, the BJP used this to attack the Trinamool: the West Bengal government was accused of botching the investigation on purpose. The BJP president, Amit Shah, even went so far as to say that the money from the Saradha scam (in which Trinamool leaders are accused) was used to fund the blast. While the investigations by the National Investigation Agency are still underway, political attacks by the BJP on this issue have stopped since March.
3. No Central forces for civic elections
In spite of a shrill demand by the Bharatiya Janata Party state unit and, indeed, a grudging request from Mamata Banerjee herself (after being prodded by the Election Commission), the Central government still refused to send in its forces to enforce order during the April civic elections in Bengal, which saw 92 municipalities, including Kolkata’s, go to polls.
Opposition parties and, significantly, even the head of the State Election Commission, had noted the extremely high level of violence seen in the polls, the main beneficiary of which was the Trinamool, given its strong organisational strength. The Trinamool Congress swept the polls, winning in 70 out of 91 municipal bodies.
After the sharp war of words between the two parties till not very long age, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan congratulated the Trinamool on this victory and even had words of praise for Banerjee, who he is slated to meet, as he tours Kolkata.
4. Trinamool’s support in Parliament
With the laundry list of BJP favours, this was the Trinamool’s quid pro quo. After the Modi-Mamata Banerjee meeting, the Trinamool, changed tack to support two crucial government bills in Parliament, the coal and mines bills, in March.
Mamata Banerjee has also agreed to support the government in passing the Goods and Service Tax bill as well as a controversial bill for a land boundary agreement with Bangladesh.
Given the lack of numbers for the ruling BJP in the Rajya Sabhya, the Trinamool Congress’ legislative support is crucial.
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This war continued once the Bharatiya Janata Party assumed power in Delhi. Amit Shah, coming in to campaign for by-elections, would take aim at Trinamool, at a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party looked to be growing by leaps and bounds in the state
Politics, though, is a fast-paced game. After months of confrontation, however, events since March indicate a definite thawing of relations between Mamata Banerjee and the BJP.
On March 10, Mamata Banerjee stopped her boycott of Modi and met him for the first time since he became prime minister, the stated aim of the meeting being a discussion around West Bengal’s finances. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), however, decided to read more into this event. “As I have said before, there is an under the table settlement between Bharatiya Janata Party and TMC. Both the parties are ready. They are just weighing their conditions,” said the Left Front chairman, Biman Bose.
Bose may not have been that far off the mark. Events since then, leading up to the end-April civic polls in Bengal, have shown the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party seeming to come together. Here are some instances of their growing teamwork:
1. Saradha scam investigation slow down
After attacking the Trinamool Congress over the massive Ponzi scheme with alleged links to top party leaders, the BJP-led Central government slowed things down considerably. Three of the main accused were let off on bail in February and Trinamool member of parliament Mukul Roy, a close aide of Banerjee, wasn’t arrested at all, in spite of strong prima facie links with the case.
2. Ceasefire over the the Burdwan Blast
On October 2 2014, a blast in a house in Burdwan district, West Bengal killed two people and injured a third. With terror accusations being levelled, the BJP used this to attack the Trinamool: the West Bengal government was accused of botching the investigation on purpose. The BJP president, Amit Shah, even went so far as to say that the money from the Saradha scam (in which Trinamool leaders are accused) was used to fund the blast. While the investigations by the National Investigation Agency are still underway, political attacks by the BJP on this issue have stopped since March.
3. No Central forces for civic elections
In spite of a shrill demand by the Bharatiya Janata Party state unit and, indeed, a grudging request from Mamata Banerjee herself (after being prodded by the Election Commission), the Central government still refused to send in its forces to enforce order during the April civic elections in Bengal, which saw 92 municipalities, including Kolkata’s, go to polls.
Opposition parties and, significantly, even the head of the State Election Commission, had noted the extremely high level of violence seen in the polls, the main beneficiary of which was the Trinamool, given its strong organisational strength. The Trinamool Congress swept the polls, winning in 70 out of 91 municipal bodies.
After the sharp war of words between the two parties till not very long age, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan congratulated the Trinamool on this victory and even had words of praise for Banerjee, who he is slated to meet, as he tours Kolkata.
4. Trinamool’s support in Parliament
With the laundry list of BJP favours, this was the Trinamool’s quid pro quo. After the Modi-Mamata Banerjee meeting, the Trinamool, changed tack to support two crucial government bills in Parliament, the coal and mines bills, in March.
Mamata Banerjee has also agreed to support the government in passing the Goods and Service Tax bill as well as a controversial bill for a land boundary agreement with Bangladesh.
Given the lack of numbers for the ruling BJP in the Rajya Sabhya, the Trinamool Congress’ legislative support is crucial.