West Bengal has been in the eye of the political storm in India with Mamata Banerjee quitting the UPA. The Cabinet reshuffle put some of the spotlight on Congress interests in the state. The ruling party has filled the vacuum created by the exit of Trinamul Ministers with aggressive representatives of the West Bengal Congress-Deepa Dasmunshi who is a severe critic of TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee, Adhir Chowdhury and Abu Hasan Chaudhury who demonstrate the party’s strength in North Bengal. Prospects of the West Bengal Congress in the coming Panchayat elections seem brighter.
But one expects more from the new faces from West Bengal in the UPA ministry. The Panchayat polls do not carry all that much weight. The state is home to a large number of young Indians. All eyes are on the economic growth of West Bengal. Empowerment and high expectations about the life style are in focus. The Left Front government which ruled for nearly 35 years failed to fulfill expectations. The Trinamul government during its tenure so far has not done famously either. An industrialized state has drifted towards strikes and hartals. Mamata Banerjee’s rule so far has been characterized by suppression of freedom of expression and persistent talk of Opposition conspiracy. No positive signs have been seen in generation of employment. The Congress in West Bengal has to fight to remedy the ills. It has to shake off the evils of dynastic politicking. Violent politics has to be given a wide berth. What West Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow should not be merely a catch phase.