Bengal – Communists, Mamata Banerjee and the Hills

Ipsita Shome

“I did not have any talks with them (GJM). They announced this unilaterally. They are with BJP and this seems to be a game planted by CPI(M)”

- Mamata Banerjee

“We have been saying from the very beginning that Trinamool and Congress are trying to divide Bengal by joining hands with forces like the GJM. Thursday’s development just corroborates our claim. The opposition alliance will have to give explanation to the people of Bengal for such a treacherous stand.”

- CPM committee member

“That stand (to supports parties who stand by the cause of Gorkhaland) remains unchanged, but under the present circumstances, ousting the Left Front is more important.”

- Senior GJM leader

If the above statements have knotted your brainwaves only to infer another set of loony culpability drama of the Bengal politics, then you are absolutely correct. However, this was an opportunistic incrimination and most of the rationales sited are partly or wholly fictitious with the core ingredient posing to be a fulcrum for the future of political and administrative stance in West Bengal.

As good as the blame-game looks, the scenario, conversely, doesn’t satisfy the detailing offered to the naked eye. The GJM, in contrast, is true to their version of the story this time and not fishing about flipping sides, grabbing incentives from the best of both worlds in this period of utmost desperation offered by the much anticipated state assembly elections. Evidently, it negates the self-righteous statement of Ms Banerjee and leaves a question mark to the ‘conspiracy theory’ of the CPI(M).

Despite thorough BJP support  (BJP’s minority appeasement policy) – the BJP-GJM alliance has come to an abrupt halt courtesy this out-of-the-blue declaration by Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri. The BJP has reasons to be annoyed. Take this for instance. They left four seats – including Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong – to GJM in return for support of six seats in the plains. State BJP president Rahul Sinha said, ‘GJM’s decision is unfortunate. We have informed the party’s central leadership.’

If I remember correctly, then the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, in 2009, extended reasonable support to the Congress candidate in the Darjeeling Lok Sabha assembly. So there’s hardly any question of shifting loyalties here. Albeit, the focus of the issue is that – why this constant maintenance of devotion to the Congress regardless TMC’s staunch anti-Gorkhaland stand. The answer is easy. Like the CPI-M and TMC, the GJM is itself not so fond of the idea of the occurrence of a Gorkhaland. It thrives on conflicting notions and wants to tread that way for until absolute political dominion. The CPI-M is against the idea of not having a stronghold in GJM’s territory, regulating from the Centre. That, obviously, doesn’t go in sync with the political ambitions of the GJM and hence the support for TMC, who, unlike the CPI-M, prefers to leave the hills alone and operate from the plains.

The GJM pronouncement has unnerved the Left parties which fear the GJM’s support to candidates of Trinamool Congress -Congress alliance will lead to division of votes in at least 12 seats creating troubles in the way of its candidates winning from there. Hence, the CPI-M swiftly seized on GJM’s statement of support to Trinamool Congress and Congress and dubbed it an alliance of ‘separatist forces’, in an attempt to bruise TMC’s or rather Mamata Banerjee’s image.

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