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Mamata letter urges united anti-BJP front
Banerjee’s letter, dated March 28 but made public by the TMC on Wednesday, alleged that a recent bill bestowing more powers to the lieutenant governor in Delhi was a “direct attack” on the country’s federal structure.
West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee urged Opposition parties to unite against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its government, writing letters to top leaders of non-BJP parties in the middle of a high-stakes election in the eastern state.
Banerjee’s letter, dated March 28 but made public by the TMC on Wednesday, alleged that a recent bill bestowing more powers to the lieutenant governor in Delhi was a “direct attack” on the country’s federal structure. It raised seven other allegations and suggested a meeting of Opposition leaders after the ongoing five-state assembly polls to chart a plan of action against the BJP.
“I am writing this letter to you, and to several leaders of non-BJP parties, to convey my serious concerns over a series of assaults by the BJP and its government at the Centre on democracy and constitutional federalism in India,” Banerjee said in the three-page document.
The letter was written days before the second phase of polls in Bengal, where Banerjee is taking on her protégé-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP in the prestigious seat of Nandigram. The BJP is aiming to dislodge the TMC for its first election victory in Bengal while Banerjee is gunning for a third consecutive term.
The letter was sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, DMK president MK Stalin, Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah, Peoples Democratic Party’s Mehbooba Mufti and CPI-ML’s Dipankar Bhattacharya.
It was also dispatched to six chief ministers: Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal, Maharashtra’s Uddhav Thackeray, Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren, Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik, Andhra Pradesh’s Jagan Mohan Reddy and Telangana’s K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Banerjee’s letter drew broad support from Opposition leaders but flak from the BJP, which said the move betrayed her nervousness about the ongoing polls.
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“Democracy should be the last word in @MamataOfficial & @AITCofficial dictionary. Their cadre attack @BJP4Bengal candidates, intimidate voters, capture booths, block all hoardings and at the end leaders preach Democracy,” BJP general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh tweeted.
TMC insiders said the underlying message was aimed at consolidation of anti-BJP forces in the remaining phases of the eight-phase polls. “We want to show the Opposition is united,” a senior TMC leader said. The CPI(M)-led Left Front, which is fighting the Bengal polls in alliance with the Congress, was excluded from the initiative.
In her letter, Banerjee alleged misuse of the governor’s office in non-BJP ruled states, misuse of central agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate and withholding funds to non-BJP states, among others.
“The BJP wants to make it impossible for non-BJP parties to exercise their Constitutional rights and freedom. It wants to dilute the powers of state governments and downgrade them to mere municipalities. In short it wants to establish a one-party authoritarian rule in India,” the letter read.
Banerjee wrote that she would “wholeheartedly work” with these leaders and “all other like-minded political parties in the battle”.
Referring to the passage of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill by Parliament, Banerjee said it was an “extremely grave” development. “With this law, the BJP government at the Centre has snatched away practically all the powers of the democratically elected government of Delhi, and vested them in the hands of the Lt Governor, a nominee of the Centre. The Lt Governor has been made the undeclared Viceroy of Delhi, acting as a proxy for the home minister and the prime minister,” she said. “You will also agree that what the BJP has done in Delhi is not an exception, but has increasingly become a rule.”
Most opposition parties backed her.
“We have received the letter and we fully agree with her,” said the AAP in a statement.
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NCP said they extend full support to the TMC chief. “In a way Mamata didi has sought support from all the opposition leaders. Pawar saheb was scheduled to visit West Bengal for three days starting from April 1 but could not do so due to ill health. We extend full support to the TMC and if health conditions improve, Pawar saheb will try to visit West Bengal in the last phase of the elections,” said party spokesperson Nawab Malik, referring to Pawar’s recent illness.
Shiv Sena also expressed solidarity with Banerjee. “The opposition has to unit against the BJP to save the democracy and federalism of the country. There is no other alternative. And I think Uddhavji Thackeray has already laid the foundation of uniting the opposition against the BJP,” said Sena chief spokesperson Arvind Sawant.
Supriyo Bhattacharrya, principal general secretary of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), said his party was repeatedly raising the same issue. “We have been raising this issue since day one after coming to power in the state. And this is one of the primary reasons we decided to withdraw from Bengal polls and support TMC,” said Bhattacharya.
Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha said the letter was very timely. “BJP is virtually berserk in destroying institutions and established democratic norms,” he said.
Dipankar Bhattacharya of the CPI-ML said saving the federal framework was certainly a key concern. “All opposition parties should definitely exchange their views and respond unitedly to save the country from the growing crisis of the economy, democracy, federalism and constitutional rule of law,” he said. Mufti said it was imperative for the opposition parties to unite in order to protect democracy.
The BJP said the letter was an expression of frustration. “This is a clear sign of frustration and an effort to keep herself relevant knowing very well that defeat in the assembly elections in imminent…At a time when elections are going on in the state she is writing to other leaders of uniting against the BJP. She had made such efforts earlier to but had failed,” said Jay Prakash Majumdar, vice-president of the party’s Bengal unit.
