INDIA Effect? Mamata Skips Attack on Congress on Martyrs' Day But Bengal Unease May Hamper 'Unity'

Has the Opposition’s coming together as INDIA changed things in Bengal? If you heard TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s Martyrs’ Day rally speech on July 21, you would have certainly asked yourself this question.

It was a welcome change for the Opposition bloc as Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee trained guns on the BJP and NDA, sparing the Congress with which they share a blow hot, blow cold relationship.

Before July 17, the TMC and Congress locked horns over the panchayat polls as Banerjee openly accused Congress of “shaking hands” with BJP in Bengal.

“In Bengal, BJP, Congress and Left have formed an alliance. In Delhi you [Congress] have one type of ‘ladoo’ and in Kolkata, you have another. That’s not correct. In Bengal, Congress shakes hands with BJP and in Delhi, they are trying to make an alliance against BJP?”

However, since the coming together of 26 opposition parties as INDIA, the West Bengal chief minister has refrained from attacking the Congress.

“I congratulate 26 parties that we have come together and INDIA has been formed. In 2024, BJP will go. We do not care about power or post, we care about peace for our nation,” she had said.

While Banerjee has been trying to extend the olive branch, Congress’ Bengal face Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury does not seem to be impressed. “She knows that even if she hits us, nothing will happen. People will not believe her,” he said.

As per political experts, there is unease at the local level about the Trinamool and Congress joining hands at the national level. Several workers of the Grand Old Party have been killed in panchayat elections and it is expected that the local leadership will continue trading barbs with TMC over the issue.

However, political analyst professor Biswanath Chakraborty said Banerjee’s outreach was “intentional”. “She is doing this intentionally because she knows by not targeting Congress, ultimately she will be benefitted locally. In panchayat polls and Sagardighi by-election, her concerns were about Muslim vote. If people see TMC and Congress together, then Muslim vote will go to TMC. This will damage Congress locally.”

Taking a dig at the Catch-22 situation in Bengal, BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari said: “They (Congress) have done setting. Now their workers have to decide what they will do.”

While INDIA looks all set to take on the NDA, the question remains if Congress and TMC will go hand in hand in Bengal or keep up their local rivalry.