BJP creating an optical illusion in Bengal, says TMC MP Derek O'Brien

West Bengal has emerged almost like Uttar Pradesh in terms of importance during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Derek O’Brien, member of the Rajya Sabha from Bengal representing All India Trinamool Congress and the chief national spokesperson for the party, spoke to Nivedita Mookerji recently at his Kolkata office on the electoral politics that’s playing out in the state. Edited excerpts:   

What do you think the numbers will be in West Bengal?

I’m not a psephologist, but I’m quite sure that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not get enough in the state for Narendra Modi to get a second term as the Prime Minister.  They (BJP) started with two seats in the state five years ago; they can go up by two perhaps. They are getting excited and have given the numbers as there’s no GST on numbers. (BJP president Amit Shah has said BJP would get 23 out of 42 seats in West Bengal this time).  Wait for the final result. At Trinamool, we don’t do big talk, but we believe we are clearly number one in Bengal. This is not only for seats. Trinamool is number one in MSME, in ease of doing business, in e-tendering, in rural road constructions, and in so many other things. 

But BJP is very optimistic on Bengal. How do you explain that? 

I think BJP can hope to become the principal Opposition party and replace the Left, if that’s their objective. I don’t know who comes second or third or fourth. Our political view is very clear that we have to fight all three—Congress, BJP and the Left—in Bengal.  The Delhi strategy is of course different — we will do what it takes to keep Modi out. We are quite sure that the non-NDA parties are doing very well and that regional parties will take a lead in formation of the government at the Centre.  TMC, though present only in Bengal, is a national party. We will be the third largest party in Parliament again for the second time. Mamata di and Trinamool will have a key role to play in the formation of the new government and in keeping  the NDA out. The PM has called Mamata di ‘speedbreaker didi’.  I would say that is true. She is a speed breaker for his bid for a second term as PM.

Which are the seats in Bengal that you think BJP could win?

See this election from the Bengal perspective. Trinamool has an overwhelming support since 2011 when we won the Assembly but that was in alliance with Congress. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, we won 34 out of 42 seats. In 2016 Assembly, when Congress and CPM came together and Lutyen’s Delhi was getting all excited, we won 211 out of 294 seats on our own. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, CPM had a vote share of around 30 per cent, BJP 17 and Congress 10… Even 30 per cent vote share converted to only two seats for CPM. This time, the real shuffle is happening in that space where three parties are fighting alone on the ground to defeat Trinamool. 

Isn’t the theory of Muslim appeasement by TMC adversely impacting your party this election?

Let me ask you in my old avatar a quiz question: How many out of the top six minorities seats does Trinamool hold? Well, the answer is zero. So, this Muslim appeasement is a myth, which the BJP has not only created but is also propagating for polarisation. Trinamool has never spoken like that. We spoke about Kanyashree, for instance, for which budget is about ~7,000 crore, much higher than the national budget for Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme at ~600 crore. We have touched the lives of 6 million girls…. 

Don’t you think Tatas moving out of Singur has hurt the business environment of the state, and that Trinamool is responsible for that? 

What’s Supreme Court view now was Trinamool’s political view when it protested against the land acquisition from farmers to set up the Tata Nano factory. And I’m saying it with all humility — what happened when the Nano went to Gujarat? It was a non starter. I believe that in Bengal, we must improve our communication and marketing, not so much the product. IT majors including TCS, IBM and Wipro are starting new facilities in the state.  Tatas are moving from Jhakhand and Odisha to Bengal. Several other large businesses are investing in the state. Not only that, West Bengal is number one in giving credit to MSMEs. I’m not even talking about the social sector.

What is the Trinamool number assessment for itself? 

You have to look at our starting point. After seven years of government, we are starting with 34 on 42. As a political party, we will target 42 on 42. I will request friend from the media to wait. We are saying Trinamool will be 42 on 42, Amit Shah said BJP would get 23. Let’s see who’s closer to reality. If we get 37 from 42, you will say we are closer to reality. To put in a poetic way, they (BJP) are trying to create an illusion. It is an optical illusion.

Why do you think Bengal is being treated like Uttar Pradesh in 2019 elections? 

BJP attempted to sell a product in 2014. They sold it and people bought it. Now the problem is if the product doesn’t deliver, the repurchase price comes down. So, in 2019, one has to work that much more to sell the product and West Bengal is being seen as a state to make good the losses the party may suffer in some other states. Like the great advertising Guru David Ogilvy said, if the product is good and advertising is bad, it won’t be a big problem. But the reverse is not true. The problem is of repurchase.
 

Do you see Mamata Banerjee becoming the PM?

Mamata Banerjee’s bio data has it all. 45 years of people’s movement, some seven to eight times MP, two-time Chief Minister,  3 times Union Cabinet Minister. Her CV is out there in the public domain. But our view in Trinamool is that India is a beautiful garden, and we realised that in this garden, there’s need for squirrels, who don’t hog the limelight and who are not pretty tulips. So, Trinamool doesn’t mind being the squirrel to do all the ground work to drive away the demons. Sometime, the squirrel is also the queen of the garden because it plays the most important role.

Who else do you think will play the role of the squirrel?

I don’t know who are the squirrels and who are the bees, but I communicated this analogy because we are not greedy. But I can tell you the federal parties are going to drive the new government.