Congress-Trinamool bonhomie, Leftists in quandary in West Bengal

According to political analysts, the Trinamool Congress chief is well aware that merely being a regional party it will be impossible to give BJP a tough fight at the national level. Precisely because of that she is making a desperate attempt to reunite ties with a national party like Congress to expand her horizons.

Kolkata:Will the cosying up of the Trinamool Congress with the Congress, as Mamata Banerjee meets Sonia Gandhi, bear an effect on the Left-Cong alliance in West Bengal? That is the question that is floating around in the political circles of the state right at this moment.

The CPI(M) leadership here, is at least, keeping a close watch on the trip of Mamata Banerjee to New Delhi. Despite holding a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of COVID-19 vaccination, it is now clear the main aim of the chief minister’s trip to New Delhi is to prepare a wider anti-BJP opposition platform at the national level, where Trinamool Congress can play a key role. Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, assembly elections will be held in states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Tripura. In view of that, the opposition parties have already started a massive anti-BJP drive. The West Bengal chief minister wants to play a key role in that national drive.

According to political analysts, the Trinamool Congress chief is well aware that merely being a regional party it will be impossible to give BJP a tough fight at the national level. Precisely because of that she is making a desperate attempt to reunite ties with a national party like Congress. Having faith over her sweet relationship with Sonia Gandhi for years, the TMC chief had a meeting with the latter on Wednesday. Before that, on Tuesday, she had a meeting with Congress veterans like Kamal Nath and Anand Sharma. It is clear that she is trying to get closer to Congress again.

The CPI(M) leadership here in West Bengal is divided over their reactions to these fresh developments. The dyed-in-the-wool section in CPI(M), who had always been against any understanding with Congress, feels that this fresh Congress-Trinamool Congress cosying up will ultimately help CPI(M) and at the same time, no one will be able to hold the party responsible for breaking the ties with Congress in West Bengal. The CPI(M) leaders mainly from Burdwan and Kolkata are more eager to maintain equidistance with Congress.

Their contention is that a leftist force can never ideologically have a longstanding relationship with Congress, which is basically hungry for power. This section in CPI(M) also contend that with a hunger for power, Congress is now joining with Trinamool Congress in New Delhi and there is no place for ideology in such understanding.

On the other hand, the liberal section in CPI(M) feel that if the ties with Congress are breached at this time, there is every possibility that the party might totally lose its national relevance after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The matter will be debated at the different party conferences of the CPI(M) that will start after October this year.

Meanwhile, the Left Front chairman, Biman Bose himself has made it clear they have no reservation towards an understanding with Trinamool Congress at the national level to counter BJP. According to him, the CPI(M) leadership has no hesitation in being a part of any anti-BJP platform at the national level, where the anti-BJP stand will be the only goal.

Even if Trinamool Congress is part of that platform in that case also the priority will be Trinamool Congress rather than BJP. Even the CPI(M) politburo member and party’s state secretary in West Bengal, Dr Suryakanta Mishra gave a somewhat same statement.

Now, as Congress and Trinamool Congress are cosying up, the disintegration of the Congress-Left Front alliance is almost inevitable. But that can pose uneasiness in the attempt for a wider opposition platform against BJP at the national level, since the existing Congress-Left Front alliance was reached after clearance of high- commands from both the parties. Again the possible disintegration in the Congress-Left Front alliance will surely be done with the concurrence of Sonia Gandhi.

Already Congress leadership has started going soft over the ruling party in West Bengal. The Congress-Trinamool Congress unity on the Pegasus Spyware issue has already become evident on the floor of the Parliament. The meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday has provided oxygen to that unity. Although the Congress- Left Front alliance in West Bengal still exists, the relationships between Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan and Bidhan Bhavan have started becoming cold.

“We will not take the first step in disintegrating the alliance with anyone. But if anyone chooses to disintegrate we will not request them to stay back,” Biman Bose has said.

So naturally, there is an inevitable signal of change in political equations both at the national and state levels. It is becoming even more evident following the striking ideological differences between the conservative and liberal sections in CPI(M) over the issue of alliance with Congress. So both Biman Bose and Dr Suryakanta Mishra are treading cautiously on this issue and keeping a watch over the developments.