Mamata’s ‘coup’ drags the Indian Army into politics, undermines its reputation

There is a disturbing tendency which is increasing of late on the part of some politicians to involve non-political entities or institutions in political diatribes

There is a disturbing tendency which is increasing of late on the part of some politicians to involve non-political entities or institutions in political diatribes and mud-slinging, or cast aspersions on them. And it is unfortunate that Mamata Banerjee, even in her second term as West Bengal chief minister, has proved no exception to this. Ms Banerjee has all along been known to be impetuous in her ways, even when she was a Union minister. And now the way she has accused the army of staging a ‘coup’ in her state — over a relatively unimportant issue of army troopers collecting data at toll plazas — was an entirely unnecessary attempt at creating a controversy. There has been no “coup” against any state government in Indian history, and so far, looking at the army’s conduct, there is no possibility of there being one.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee addresses a media conference at Nabanna in Howrah, near Kolkata. (PTI Photo)

While Ms Banerjee has claimed that the army had done this exercise without her permission, the army on its part has said that the state government was apprised of the matter, and the dates for doing this had been changed on the request of the Kolkata Police. This still leaves open the question of whether the state government had given its approval. Whatever the truth of the matter, what is certain is that this is an exercise that’s conducted not just in West Bengal but in other states also. If Ms Banerjee is peeved, it can only be over the manner in which this has been done. So, at this stage, the right thing for her would have been to talk to the Union defence minister, who would then have been able to clear the air on this. The matter is currently being discussed at the police, army and bureaucratic levels, and it should be ensured no such misunderstanding takes place in future.