Kolkata: What former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav achieved, his compatriot Mulayam Singh Yadav could not. Political insiders say the country’s power politics always springs some surprises, which always don’t just make headlines, it spawns new history. Just as Akhilesh Yadav’s usurpation of Mulayam Singh Yadav rewrote the history for Uttar Pradesh.
However, in the case of Bihar Lalu Prasad Yadav, the then RJD supremo was embroiled in a corruption case, so the issue of power transfer was not automatically on the cards. As far as history is concerned, the transfer of power between two generations doesn’t always end on a happy note.
In West Bengal, a similar transition is in the offing. But political analysts say that Abhishek Banerjee is still not a more acceptable face than Mamata Banerjee in the state. However, in Trinamool Congress, two centres of power have been formed with Mamata Banerjee on one side and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee on the other.
Many see a conflict on who will have control over the party — Camac Street or Kalighat.
Is the hoarding “New Trinamool in six months” just political propaganda by overzealous Trinamool supporters? Prominent political analyst and teacher Amal Mukhopadhyay does not think so. “For the past few months, there has been a trend of reforms within the Trinamool. There is an attempt to take over the power of the party. That is today’s new Trinamool.”
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The professor feels that different ideas like these can divide the party in the future. An attempt is being made to show strength without using Abhishek Banerjee’s name through this rise in ranks of the new Trinamool within six months.
However, political analyst Subhasish Maitra does not see any possibility of conflict in this campaign of the new Trinamool within six months.
“I don’t think Abhishek Banerjee has any existence with Mamata Banerjee. The so-called number 2 leaders of the Trinamool Congress, who were known till now, have gradually lost their credibility. Mukul Roy’s departure from Trinamool, Partha Chatterjee’s involvement in corruption, and Suvendu Adhikari leaving the party have affected the image of old schoolers in Mamata Banerjee’s circle.
“As a family member, Mamata now has a lot of faith in Abhishek. Now in the Trinamool Congress, Abhishek took all the decisions of the party even though it was a political strategy with Mamata Banerjee's name at the forefront. In this case, it is only a political strategy in bringing back the image of the new Trinamool Party,” Maitra said.
Another political analyst and former Calcutta University registrar Raja Gopal Dhar Chakraborty said that the corruption of leaders one after another has brought down the image of the party. In many cases, it is seen that a large section of Trinamool leaders is isolated from the masses.
“A transparency campaign is needed in this situation, which will remove the allegations of corruption and irregularities and make the party leaders relevant. This campaign is for that purpose. As a result, within 6 months, Trinamool can be seen with a new look in the opening of the party,” Chakraborty said.
In this case, there may be a reshuffle at various levels starting from the booth. Those associated with corruption may be shunted out in the coming days. Now, the question is whether it is possible to change the image of the party overnight.
