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On May 20, 2011, Banerjee, was sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of Bengal, amid much euphoria. That exuberance surrounding the historic moment that spelt the end of a 34-year communist rule in Bengal is still intact, as manifest by the results of the Lok Sabha elections, in which she bagged 34 of the 42 seats. Her strategy- keep it simple, stupid, which pervades across her communication and policies.
Whether it's calling Narendra Modi names (devil, dangabaaj, butcher of Gujarat), or lambasting her once-upon-a-time adversary, the Communist Party of India Marxist, her lingo is lucid, and not peppered with Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
On the policy front, Banerjee has broken it down to the simplest level. A compulsive populist, the TMC government's focus is essentially on quick fixes that translate into short-term gains without having to make significant changes. After all, Banerjee knows what dramatic changes (like Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's industrialisation drive) can result in.
"I don't think the government is functioning as badly as seen by its detractors. Personally, I have been involved with some of the government projects on education, like the one on reforms in Presidency University. But the question is, what is the government doing in other spheres. I am concerned about issues like women safety and corruption. While the Saradha scam is yet to be investigated, the fact remains that it happened in the tenure of the present government. Also, three years is not a small time period. The government could have done more than what it has done so far," Dipankar Dasgupta, former professor at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), said.
Indeed, the government's achievements have been marred by the Saradha scam. Over the past the Enforcement Directorate has quizzed some intellectuals from Banerjee's clan. More are likely to follow.
Nonetheless, Banerjee's tenure has seen some positives. One, her three-year stint, is marked by the ability to run the government with depleted coffers. While a gargantuan debt of more than Rs 2 lakh crore (admittedly not her doing) overshadows much of the economic development of West Bengal, improvement in the state's financial health is visible.
The state's tax-GSDP ratio for the first time in 15 years has crossed five per cent. A tax policy aimed at curbing leakages has increased the state's tax revenue by a significant 41 per cent growth in 2012-13.
"The Centre is taking away all our money, we have very little left for development," Banerjee has been telling people in her rally. But she doesn't bog down people with just hard facts, so the message is always interspersed with entertainment relief provided by Tollywood, part of TMC's extended family, and now its parliamentary party, with more than a dozen having won in the elections this time around. To keep it simple, possibly.
The populist measures have, however, led to a significant increase in state expenditure. West Bengal's development expenditure increased by 45 per cent between 2011-2012 and 2013-14, while non-development expenditure has increased by 18 per cent, according to the state budget.
Departments that got high allocation, include Panchayat and Rural Development (an increase of 149 per cent over the last Budget) and Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education (102 per cent over last Budget). The Commerce and Industry department, on the other hand, hardly saw any increase in allocation, from Rs 540 crore in the last budget to Rs 594 crore in this Budget.
To put it in context, the allocation for the commerce and industry department is nearly one-fourth of that for the Panchayat and Rural development and Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education departments. But that's hardly a surprise.
Banerjee's political career was resurrected after the ouster of Nano in 2008. She hasn't changed since. No big ticket investment has been announced in the past three years. But then Banerjee has always said that industry doesn't necessarily mean large industries, culture and entertainment are also industries.
Among her government's other notable achievements are bringing relative peace to Junglemahal and Darjeeling. "Pahar hanshchhe"(Hills are smiling), Junglemahal hanshchhe (Junglemahal is smiling)," she is often heard saying.
But Banerjee is no mood to celebrate her victory or three years of her goverment. She even refused to flash the victory sign for the shutterbugs after the election results. Is it the din around Narendra Modi's victory, especially inroads in West Bengal that's worrying her, people are asking.
