Smt. Mamatadebi,
Congratulations, for
taking oath for the third consecutive term as the Chief Minister of
Bengal, to preserve the federal state’s democratic governance with honesty,
sincerity and dedication.
Bengal has
vanquished communalism cultivated by the BJP. In your own words, it is an
inclusive “victory of Bengal people, victory of the country, victory of
democracy”. As you yourself have said rightly, “Bengal saved India today”, it confirms
“what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow.” This victory has
significance for all the Indian secular parties, struggling to stop the RSS-fed
regressive ideology and communal juggernaut.
You have emerged more strongly as a pragmatic, a down-to-earth
politician, to lead Bengal and ultimately the nation. Having
pushed back divisive politics, you have held up, as in Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s
words, India’s “secular ethos, democratic resilience”. He called you Mamatadebi
in his congratulatory message (The
Telegraph, 3rd May 2021). You
are ready now to ground fight against a vicious polarised ideology with a
strong democratic ideology of AITC (if there is any), while discharging your
constitutional responsibility by pledging to protect everyone, appeasing no one.
Remember, all communities have helped you to govern Bengal for the third time despite the violation of ethical
electioneering by the Centre with all its power, machineries and resources.
Your ‘politics of populism’, the multi-faceted welfare schemes and Prashant
Kishore’s I-PAC strategy, together have given you the people’s mandate. You
have with you the success to show once more on
the development and governance fronts.
Bengal’s inclusive socio-cultural and
pluri-religous heritage, enriched by the past and present luminaries, must be
saved by all means. Before everything else, it is time now to handle the
Covid-19 pandemic crisis effectively, otherwise, your government will surely be
crippled by its gross mismanagement of the second wave of the Covid-19, as it
did to that of Modi’s.
This election has been "a victory
of Bengal's tigress." The AITC is built on the sheer energy of you and it
revolves around you. What be it, kindly, follow the philosophy of Raj dharma.
More than a hype, your humility will save from any
mistake you make on the way. For example, as an administrator you follow the culture of ‘welfarism’ and
the ‘politics of populism’ with no long-term plan to consolidate the state
economy through development projects. Besides, everyone knows, you have an
allegedly pro-Muslim stance (if not all minorities in the same measure!).
As a Banglar meye, a native, protect all of us from all
‘evils’ that prowl around, and provide us with courage and strength, to live in
peace and harmony. Keep Bengal united. And for this, here
below are the DOs and DON’Ts that I recommend you to follow:
DOs :
1. Put
the systemic administration right, with law and order: stop all post-poll violence
and acts that inflict deaths and distress in many families, and divide
communities.
2. Let the Police do their job independently, do not
patronize them. Bring back law and order in the state, immediately.
3.
Initiate an urgent process
and plan through the party decision, to tackle the Covid pandemic,
straightaway. Handle the pandemic crisis
with firm hands, bur with a nursing heart.
4.
The
democratic nature of Bengal has to overcome ‘political repression’ right from
the start of your third term of governing.
5.
Be aware of widespread discontent against the Trinamul at the grassroots
level; an anti-incumbency trend mostly
around the local Trinamul leaders and units; disaffection with Trinamul
syndicates, extortions, commission cuts, dadas, mastans (musclemen)
and other anti-socials.
6.
Curb the syndicates, dangabaji and goondagiri
at every level.
7.
Clean up your party and the government; stop all kinds of corruption, coercion,
criminality and mismanagement by your tier-leaders at various
levels, starting from the ‘grassroot.’
8.
Close all bomb-gun-factories in Bengal, and stop
all smuggling of arms from outside.
9.
Get rid of the scam tainted party leaders and other
corrupt colleagues around you.
10. Personally
take care to stop the bribe (cut-money) which has become a part of the political
culture of Bengal.
11. Create a
cadre-based party machinery
that is committed (with the educated young),
a coherent and consistent ideology integrated with values and principles, and
collaborative leadership so that the party may not disintegrate.
12. Work
for the dignity and rights of the people in Bengal, upholding each culture,
tradition and practice, for the state is for everyone - irrespective of creed
and caste.
13. Encourage
inter-faith dialogue, social friendship and fraternal solidarity.
14. Be more sensitive to all inter-faith and
all-inclusive sentiments.
15. Uphold the secular and moral values of
Bengal to make this ‘Sonar Bangla’ truly a Pluralist society.
16. Bring out the best of Bengal’s unifying
socio-cultural traditions.
17. Work
with logic and systemic approach, through the SWOT strategy, having a Goal,
Objective, Action Plan, and above all a Mission. Learn from Prashant Kishore’s
I-PAC strategists.
18. Be a credible
leader for Bengal and a model of governance to the nation.
19. Stop for good, the
Hindutva juggernaut with a clear alternative ideology-based policy.
20. Unify all non-BJP
parties, initiate more welfare outreach, encourage Bengal’s pluralistic
multi-cultural identity against the communal Hindutva and social polarization.
21. Uplift the
subalterns : ST, SC, OBC, Dalits, etc.
22. Have a mix of
compassion, sympathy, confidence with the heart of a servant-leader.
23. Revive the educational culture of
Bengal through standard institution of learning with monitored quality teaching
and good infrastructure.
24. Build up a Centre-friendly government,
with win-win attitude for the common development of the state.
25. Place
yourself at the forefront of truth, honesty, humility and simplicity.
26. Deliver
on the promises you make.
27. Form
a new team of lieutenants for the future, following the APP model of volunteer-
cadre system, delivering on governance and dealing with corruption from the
very grassroot level.
28. You
are Mamatadebi for all sections of society, especially women and the
vulnerable groups, and therefore, continue to work for the people.
29.
You
need to do course corrections too, keeping away personal ‘ego’ and
work as a team.
30. As
a dominant "agent of national political change", first vow to make
Bengal Mission a success.
31. Save
democracy, for the people of Bengal have reposed their trust in you for your
grit to fight the central authoritarianism.
32. Let
your heart continue to appeal to the emotion and hearts of its people. We shall
then reciprocate positively.
33. Cultivate
a culture around the basic norms of civility that Bengal holds dear.
34. Use
the media assiduously to hammer out your vision
and an action plan.
DON’Ts :
1.
Do not indulge
into toxic politics of communal
polarization, and the politics of
caste. Though, through the politics of regional pride and social welfare, you
have tried to limit such polarisation.
2. Do not allow your grassroot leaders to
use threat tactics and take law in their hands in connivance with the local
police.
3.
Do not
prevent the local Thanas to work independently and keep law and order in
the region.
4.
Do not
fall prey to the religious polarization policy of the BJP; shed Hindutva pitch
and practice to prove your Hindu identity to the people, in order to win them
over.
5.
Do not allow the inclusive
cultural heritage of Bengal to be destroyed by the BJP’s alien Hindutva invasion.
6.
Do not
do politics of ‘tokenism’, doling out just a superficial ‘pleasing taste’.
Instead, maintain your appeal as a strong and honest administrator, giving the
best you can.
7. Do not dissatisfy
the intellectual cultural elite and the learned of Bengal. Neither should you
divide them.
8. Do not lure non-party intellectuals and
activists in Bengal, who are against the BJP that is trying to tear apart the
secular fabric of Bengali society with its Hindutva ideology. Respect them as
being the conscience of the people and allow their free thinking and
expressions in various forms. Then
only, secularism will be safe in Bengal and in India.
9.
Do not
do minority/clubs-appeasement, with Puja bonus, money, footballs and such
freebees. Serve all the 91 million people of Bengal.
10. Do not do something that your people
will revolt against. We deserve an honest politician and a good leader in you.
11. Do not allow your ministers and party
leaders to make illegal money either for the party or self (e.g. alleged Coal
scam, Cow scam, Cut-money, Sarada, Narada, etc.).
12. Never
allow any attempt from anyone/party to polarise Bengal along religious lines.
13. Never
allow your enemy to succeed. Get the first wind of any defection drive and stop
it immediately.
14.
Do
not fall into nepotism and appeasement politics. Respect all the party leaders equally.
15. Do not create a cult figure
invincibility for blind followers/partymen and women.
16. Don’t
be too impulsive, while working by instinct, discern well for the decisions to be
made.
17. Do
not be ‘cheap’ in your speeches. Invest time and preparation, integrated with
more ‘stuff’ that are built on reason and are capable to convince the listeners
through progressive thinking. Let them not be unorganized ‘freebees’, but stuff
(Derek O’Brien’s Model) that the listeners remember for long. Keep the dignity
of statesmanship.
Developmental Schemes for Poriborton:
‘Poribortan’
(change), your first term election slogan, won you the confidence and approval
of the people. Today we have seen and experienced development taking place in
villages, towns and cities of Bengal. Some schemes initiated by your government
had its impact and helped increase people’s confidence that you are for the
people. Therefore, follow this:
1.
Make sure that all the schemes that are introduced,
reach to the really deserving. Stop your local leaders from extorting cut-money
from the financial and construction schemes or from other charitable groups.
2.
With a compassionate heart for the poor, kindly continue with
the many schemes meant for them, reform some with effectiveness, and introduce
new ones.
3.
Implement and complete with honesty and
transparency all the schemes (central
and state) that are sanctioned.
4.
Build infrastructures
for income and employment generation, through industrialisation. Get land
for it.
5.
Do not keep ministers who are non-performers in your
cabinet. Do not keep those convicted in various cases, as mere representations.
6.
Make district and panchayat administration totally transparent, to oversee the implementation of the projects:
The National Food Security Act, Shabuj Sathi, Kanyashree, Ruposhree, Rural Development, Drinking water
connection, Duare Sarkar, Didike bolo, SC/ST/OBC/BPL certificate distribution,
etc.
Save the Nation:
The pandemic has turned
traumatic. The alleged gross failures of Modi’s administrative management of
the second wave of Covid were reflected in the West Bengal mandate. It
is time to transcend the state politics, and save the nation from the pandemic
crisis. Besides, with your national profile
and popularity of ‘Bengal tigress’, you are destined
to play a major role in the unity of all regional forces in the country. The
time is now, to work towards co-operative federalism. As
your victory has given a “fresh lease of life” to multi-party democratic
traditions, try to build a formidable political force in the country with the
help of the regional parties to fight the BJP hegemony at the Centre.
The divided non-BJP opposition
parties in India, are looking towards you with a lot of hope. I hope other leaders in India wake up to your cry of
preventing the democratic edifice from collapsing. Let your appeal for a
‘national democratic/federal front’ be realized in order to save India from
destructive forces, particularly the BJP with its RSS ideology. It is a mandate on you and your co-parties, to
head a government of 1.4 billion people living in 31 federal states and union
territories. It is high time, that you bring yourself as the leader of the
'united federal front' to take on the BJP in 2024, along with all the regional
party leaders, including Congress. Let others give up their ego and accept your
leadership, and fight Modi-Shah at national level. As a spirited politician and a “Bengal Tigress”, you are most suited to
replace all other aspiring unfit leaders, like Rahul Gandhi.
Remember, this is a battle for safeguarding the socio-cultural soul
of India, starting with that of Bengal, as the BJP has already alloyed
Hinduism with subaltern castes and extracted ‘pound of flesh’ out of it. A
hate-filled communal politics of BJP to transform India into a Hindu rashtra, will
be bad for our society, our Constitution and the Indian Republic. You will have
to get into the national battle field, bringing
about a better socio, political and cultural changes while safeguarding the
plurality and diversity of India. Please,
put a stop to the “transition to a constitutionally proclaimed ‘Hindu
Nation’.” Be brave O Mamatadebi with your common touch to foil this game plan. Satyameva Jayate.
Conclusion:
As the symbol of “Ma-Mati-Manush”,
you will have to be Bengal’s collective consciousness to uphold its rich
social, cultural and religious heritage; to support secularism and save
democracy. To be so, kindly retain your internal coherence when so many others enter
and exit, and reduce contradictions. Smt. Mamatadebi, if you are inspired by
the ideals of St. (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta, allow her compassion and love
shine through your political services in Bengal. Let this be the victory of
freedom for the most downtrodden and the marginalized.
As you refuse to be defeated by
destructive powers with self-confidence, you need to bow down before the
Divine-connector. Remember, One-Woman rule can lead the state/nation from one misjudgment
to another, from one tragedy to another. Never make arbitrary decisions, instead
listen to others’ views too. All your party leaders must shed their arrogant
behaviors. With your simple,
sincere and frugal lifestyle, and with acknowledging your
limitations, you can continue to conquer the hearts of millions
in India.
Nobody in the
recent party politics has such energy, grit, and presence as you have. You remain a loved and trusted leader. Your leadership will define the trajectory of
democracy in this country. Bengal is the critical milestone to where we are
headed as a nation. It will mean the difference between India retaining the
vibrancy of a multi-party democracy. Therefore, taking along all stakeholders, your
associates and advisers, you will have to offer, - other than a toxic mix
of religion and hyper-nationalism - a secular, federal, democratic and republic
India to all its citizens. Let this Khela
(game) go on…
Yours sincerely,
A common
citizen of Bengal
