Mamata Banerjee's Counter-Attack - Will Contest From Nandigram
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-01-18 10:05:18
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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
In an excellent counter-attack against defectors, West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee announced her decision to contest the ensuing elections in the state from Nandigram. Nandigram is a small town near the port city of Haldia in the Purba Medinipore district of the state which was made famous by Mamata when she fought against the forcible acquisition of farm land there by the then Left front government. It can be said that it was that agitation which propelled Mamata to the forefront and allowed her to storm the Left bastion. It is also the constituency from where Suvendhu Adhikari, who recently left the TMC to join the BJP, contested and won on a TMC ticket in 2016. Hence, Mamata has taken the fight right inside the tiger's den, so to say.
It is a very strategic decision on Mamata Banerjee's part. She said that she might contest from two places - from her usual Bhowanipore constituency (which includes the Kalighat area where she resides) and from Nandigram. But she also said that someone else will contest from Bhowanipore if she is unable to contest from two places but she will definitely contest from Nandigram. This is a decision which will send the signal to other leaders and the rank and file that she is not going to take defections lying down and will put defectors in their place by doing all it takes.
This is a typical Mamata response. Mamata Banerjee is a fighter to the core and never shies away from a contest. She is witnessing attempts by the BJP to break her party and Suvendhu Adhikari was the biggest catch for the saffron party. She knows that the entire Adhikari clan will cross over to the BJP. She also knows that they wield enormous clout in the area. But the Adhikaris have reached their present position only because they were with Mamata Banerjee. There is no bigger brand in Bengal politics than Didi. And Didi has now decided to show who the boss is by deciding to corner the Adhikaris in their den.
