Bengal Soup: Editorial on enmity between Mamata Banerjee and India’s ally Congress

What the Bengal Chief Minister thinks today may not necessarily brighten India’s electoral prospects in the state tomorrow. The irony is that Mamata Banerjee, a key member of the opposition alliance, is clearly aggressive towards Congress, her alleged ally in the impending Lok Sabha elections. His sharp remarks about the Congress’s potential election kitty – a win of about 40 parliamentary seats – have, predictably, caused disappointment. His party, the Trinamool Congress, has gone to the extent of creating obstacles in the way of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Bengal. But it is not that the conduct of Congress has been innocent. One reason for Ms Banerjee to breathe fire and brimstone is the Congress high command’s alleged inability – unwillingness – to rein in its state unit leadership, especially the impatient Ranjan Chowdhury, even with the support of national leaders including Mr Gandhi. Also in the form of his adverse stance against Ms. Banerjee. , continue to make soothing noises. Apparently, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), another constituent of the Indian camp, also has no qualms about stirring up this muddy water. The CPI(M)’s participation in Mr Gandhi’s march in Bengal is sure to create a deep rift among the opposition parties in the state. However, rumor has it that Ms Banerjee’s meeting with Sonia Gandhi this week may heal the wounds.

It is estimated that a part of this hostility is deliberate. This means strengthening the hands of the parties concerned at the negotiating table for seats. But India’s thinkers seem to have forgotten that the modern electoral battle is shaped not only by bargaining but also by optics. And India is losing in this battle of perception. Already, Nitish Kumar’s counterattack on the National Democratic Alliance has dashed the opposition’s claims of having a united front. Ms Banerjee’s spat with the Congress and the Left is bound to reinforce this view. Moreover, the energy spent on extinguishing domestic fires is wasting the opposition’s time developing a credible, consensus-based strategy on key issues. In fact, Bengal has exposed India’s susceptibility to tug-of-war and pressure, which critics allege is the natural outcome of an alliance of strange allies.