The Red Queen has some serious competition in West Bengal. Hours after the Election Commission ordered transfer of seven officials that included superintendents of police, a district magistrate and additional district magistrates, West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, declared war against the poll panel.
"I will not transfer any official as long as I am Chief Minister," she said at a rally in Hooghly on Monday, while reminding the Election Commission of its limitations. On Tuesday, even as the Chief Secretary wrote to the Election Commission agreeing to the transfers, but not replacements, Banerjee reiterated her position at yet another rally. By evening, however, she gave in and agreed to the transfers, after pointing out that the EC would be there for two days after which the officers would be reinstated. There was a distinct sense of déjà vu around it all.
Last year, when West Bengal Election Commissioner, Mira Pande, demanded central forces for panchayat elections, Banerjee took a similar stand. The matter was ultimately settled by Supreme Court, which decided in favour of Pande. Election was ordered in five phases (Pande had asked for three phases) with state and central security forces.
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The similarity in the back-to-back instances, however, does not end with the fact that both the events involve conducting free and fair polls. For people who have worked closely with Banerjee, that is a mere coincidence. The Banerjee they know, is a ruthless non-conformist who loves writing her own rules and obviously wants everyone to go by her script.
Consider the Park Street rape case--which she believed was a conspiracy against her government-- where she took on the police. IPS, Damayanti Sen, who cracked the case and went against the "conspiracy theory", was transferred soon after. All subsequent rape cases were labelled conspiracy theories as well, but that's another story.
Sen found company in Police Commissioner, R K Pachnanda who was removed last year after a college clash between Trinamool Congress and Congress claimed a sub-inspector. Though college election was the ostensible reason for the violent clash, murky operations in the infamous Garden Reach or port area surfaced as the underlying reason. But Pachnanda who generally toed the government line, got the boot, ironically when he got down to doing his job, finally.
There are examples galore to point out Banerjee's disregard for rules and conventions. Many of the key administrative posts have been lying vacant for long, according to bureaucrats.
The post of West Bengal Human Rights Commission Chairman has not been filled and a former DG was appointed as "acting chairman". The post of member (judicial) is also vacant. The posts of the power regulator and a member of the regulatory body are yet to be filled. That should suit fine, though as it means no tariff hike.
The vigilance commission of the government, which should have been able to sense a scam like Saradha, is more or less defunct. It has been replaced with an anti-corruption cell under the control of Chief Minister.
Clearly, she is rewriting the rules and no one can accuse her of being inconsistent.