The local elections in West Bengal could well prove to be a turning point in the political history of the state. After over three decades of Left Front (read CPI-M) rule, the people of Bengal have signalled a desire for change. Finally, the anti-incumbency factor is catching up here too. The mood in Bengal may be more than just the normal anti-incumbency. It seems to be like the mood in India in 1977 when, after three decades of Congress party rule, the electorate gasped for change. In Bengal too, we are witness to the steady erosion of popular support for the one party that has dominated the state’s politics for over three decades now. It is this mood of the people that Mamata Banerjee, leader of the Trinamool Congress and Union railway minister, has so convincingly tapped. One can only hope that Ms Banerjee understands the foundation of her victory. It has not been shaped by the popularity of her brand of politics, which has been regrettably destructive at times, but by a wave of boredom with the politics of the Left Front. The lesson Ms Banerjee must draw is not to imitate the Left Front, which she has done on occasions with her bandhs and gheraos, and not to compete with the Left in its anti-developmental populism, as she did in Singur, but to, in fact, offer the desperate people of Bengal hope in their future. A future of re-industrialisation, a future of development and growth of a modern knowledge-based economy. Ms Banerjee may well resort to more populism in the next few months to seal victory at the hustings in 2011 in the state’s assembly elections. But even as she seeks to widen her appeal, she must convince her supporters that she can, in fact, deliver a stable, development-oriented government. If she cannot carry conviction on that front, her present support base may easily evaporate and it may seem as if she had peaked too early in the campaign for power in the state.
Ms Banerjee’s stint as a railway minister and her stance on industrial development in the state have left many of her own admirers a bit confused. She should focus on changing her image for the better and emerge as a beacon of hope for Bengal’s unemployed youth and its highly talented middle class. Ms Banerjee has several well-meaning and learned advisors and some good talent in her party. She should be open minded, be willing to learn and be more disciplined. She can find no better teacher for her future role as chief minister than her present head of government, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. If she proves to be a better pupil than West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who too lent his ear to Dr Singh but failed to win that of his own people, she could well become the architect of a newly resurgent Bengal. The people of West Bengal are yearning for change, they are beginning to invest in Ms Banerjee. She must rise up to the challenge and meet their expectations.
