West Bengal Assembly Polls: Democracy or Mamatacracy

Mamata Banerjee’s opportunism and vote bank politics are teaching Bengalee society parochialism and regionalism, which are detrimental to Bengalee tradition. Is Mamata’s regional politics transforming Bengalee into an isolated island, having separated it from the spirit of Bharatiyatva?
Bengal’s Asmita (pride) does not teach us parochialism. Once Deshbandhu Chittaranjan said to Sarath Chandra, “Bengalee is a thought-provoking race. Bengalee is not a miser. One day when he would understand, he would offer everything he possesses in our hands.” This mindset symbolises Bengal’s Asmita.

From Bankim to Rabindranath, their writings narrate the heroic saga of Marathas, Rajputs and Sikhs. In Bankim Chandra’s novels Raj Singh and Durgesh Nandini – a heroic saga of Rajputs – has been discussed. Their gallantry impresses us and we have a lot to learn from them. Ramesh Chandra Dutta was also known as a pioneer of economic nationalism. His books titled Maharashtra Jeevan Prabhat and Rajput Jeevan Sandhya were must read for extremist armed freedom strugglers in Bengal.

Communists & TMC on Same Page

No doubt, in today’s Bengal, Communists and TMC would definitely criticise them for writing the heroic saga of Rajput, Maratha despite being Bengali. Bankim’s Anandmath reflects that Bharatiyatva and Sanatan culture are indifferent. That’s why Anandmath is considered communal by the Communist and secular.

In his poem Bandi Veer, Rabindranath presented the heroic saga, martyrdom of Banda Singh Bahadur. Rabindranath, who was influenced by Bal Gangadhar Tilak as well as Shivaji, wrote the famous poem Shivaji Utsav. In this poem, the poet appealed, “Bengali along with Marathi say Jayatu Shivaji in one voice.” Even Muslims in large numbers also participated in Shivaji Utsav. In the National Anthem, Rabindranath has referred to each and every region of Akhand Bharat.

Swami Vivekananda said, “Let Bharat Mata be yours sole adorable for the coming fifty years.” Swamiji’s famous Swadesh Mantra started with, “ Bharat, don’t forget” and later the word Bharatvasee has been repeatedly appeared in it. Definitely Swamiji would be criticised in today’s Bengal by Communist, TMC and other secular fellows for saying Bharat Mata, Bharatvasee instead of Banga Mata, Bangavasee. It is a matter of pride that Bharat Kesari Syama Prasad Mookerjee laid his life for the sake of Bharat’s integrity. This is Bengal’s Asmita.

Dividing Sanatan Fests

But now Hindu festivals are being divided in Bengali and non-Bengali lines. For example, Ganesh Puja is Marathi culture but Devi Durga, mother of Ganesh, is Bengali. Sri Ram belongs to Uttar Pradesh but Durga Puja initiated by Sri Ram that is “Akaal Bodhan” has become Bengal’s greatest festival. Bhagwan Shiva has also been divided into Bengali and non-Bengali. Bengali Shiva should have a pot belly.

The agenda of Communist is to pour poison into Bengali mind-set in the name of regionalism and to make ghoulish dictators and mass-killers like Stalin and Mao as Bengal’s hero.

Bengal is full of Stalin, Lenin’s statues when the same are not found in Russia at present. We find many Lenin Sarani, Leningarh, Lenin colonies in West Bengal. Are they Bengali? Aren’t they outsiders? Does it not distort Bengal’s Asmita? But Ramnavami in Jadavpur University distorts Bengal’s Asmita.

Implementing Communist Ideology

Intricately, this narrative of parochialism has been set by the Communist and is now being implemented by TMC. This conspiracy was fabricated at the Fish Fry meeting held at Navanna (the current State Secretariat) between Mamta Banerjee and veteran Communist leader Biman Bose. And just to strengthen its regional vote bank politics, TMC has taken up the flag of Muslim appeasement from previous Communist Government. We all know that, before Independence, Congress surrendered to Muslim League on various issues one after another such as – Vande Mataram, National Flag, National Language, Separate Electorate just to retain Muslims in their fold which ultimately led to the tragic story of Partition. Similarly, just to get 25 per cent block Muslim votes, Mamata is also compromising with all sorts of separatist and jihadi activities of Muslims one after another in various parts of West Bengal. And due to this parochial regionalism, extremist and jihadi Muslims are being enthusiastic and have been demographically transforming many places in West Bengal into extended Bangladesh in a slow but steady Khagragarh Blast : The Khagragarh, Burdwan blast took place on October 2 2014, in first floor of a house and in the ground floor there was TMC local party office. In that blast, two suspected terrorists belonging to the Jamaat Ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JUB) were killed.

Darivit School Shooting : The students of this school in Islampur, North Dinajpur had been agitating against the recruitment of two Urdu teachers. They sought recruitment of teachers for other subjects like Bengali, Science and History. tihe school had no students opting for Urdu. On September 20, 2018 when police escorted the two newly recruited Urdu teachers to the campus, students prevented them from entering the school. Two youths were shot dead during this protest. The two deceased were Rajesh Sarkar and Tapan Burman. Their families and local people claimed that the youths died in police firing. CID probe was ordered by the State Government just for eye- wash. But after almost 5 years, in 2023, Calcutta High Court expressing its dissatisfaction over CID investigation, ordered NIA probe into the Darivit School shooting.

Inexplicable Violence during protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill: The violence was directed mainly against the Hindu population in the Muslim majority district of Murshidabad during an anti-Waqf law agitation, with violence rocking the place from April 11, 2025. The protests at Suti, Dhulian, Jangipur, and Samserganj assumed a communal colour, as miscreants not only attacked the police and State government offices but also targeted the Hindu residents of the area. On April 12, 74-year-old idol-maker Hargobind Das and his son Chandan were dragged out of their home in Jafrabad in Samsherganj by a violent mob and hacked to death……

On April 16, while addressing a large gathering of imams and muezzins in Kolkata, Mamata called the violence a “preplanned communal riot”. Turning her guns on the BJP Government at the Centre, she said: “What is your plan? To get an agency [a reference to Central forces] to bring people from there [Bangladesh] and cause riots? …..”

Islamists Orchestrate Violence

The 2016 Malda riots broke out in the same place in Kaliachak, where judicial officers were reportedly held hostage by a mob a few days back. On January 3, 2016, thousands of people gathered in Kaliachak in Malda district. The Muslim mob attacked the Kaliachak Police Station, vandalised offices, and set vehicles on fire. The block development office was also ransacked. Government records, computers, and files were destroyed. Several reports from the time suggested that the violence also took a communal turn. Temples, including Shani Mandir and Durga Mandir in nearby areas like Baliadanga, were attacked. Around 25 houses and shops belonging to Hindus were vandalised.

The Malda region, especially Kaliachak is a super sensitive area being the junction point of Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Bangladesh. It is known for illegal activities such as smuggling, fake currency operations, and narcotics production, poppy cultivation- which is used to produce opium and heroin.

According to officials, enforcement agencies had recently taken action against these networks, including destroying large areas of poppy fields. This crackdown is believed to have angered local jihadi, militants and vested interest Muslim criminal groups.

According to observations by the National Commission for Women, “the communal violence had a particularly devastating impact on women and girls. Many were subjected to unspeakable acts of sexual violence, physical assaults and rape threats.”

Hostage Horror: Bengal’s Lawlessness

In the Muslim majority enclave of Mothabari in Malda district, near Bangladesh border, a mass-agitation over names missing from electoral rolls turned into a brazen assault on judicial officers appointed under Supreme Court mandate. Seven judicial officers -three of them women and a 5-year-old child were held hostage for more than 9 hours. After midnight, Central forces rescued them and during the operation stones-pelting continued, highway connecting the Chicken-Neck corridor was blocked and several vehicles were damaged as protesters tried to obstruct  the convoy. Photos and videos show Trinamool’s Mothabari MLA and Minister in Mamata Banerjee’s Cabinet, Sabina Yeasmin sitting among the protesters and even cooking food for them. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant described the events as a “brazen attempt” to browbeat judicial officers and a “calculated and motivated” move aimed at derailing the adjudication of objections. The court said the incident was not routine but appeared designed to create a “psychological attack” on officers working under its directions.

“This is also an abdication of duty by the West Bengal Government,” the court observed, directing senior state officials to explain why adequate measures were not taken despite being informed in time. And last but not the last , as per Supreme Court instruction NIA has taken charge of the investigation.

Islamisation of Muslim areas

Since the Communist came into power in Bengal, it had been a custom in Bengal that whenever the number of students in a Government or Government sponsored school becomes 25 per cent or less, Saraswati Puja in that school is automatically prohibited, which does not suit our Bengal’s ethos. Now, who are instigating this venom of jihadi fanaticism, fundamentalism and separatism among those innocent people?

In 2017, CM Mamata Banerjee ordered the Durga idol immersion coinciding with Muharram would not be allowed. When Sri Ram, Sri Krishna become outsiders, Ramnavami does not symbolise Bengal’s Asmita as per TMC’s version, does Muharram symbolise Bengal’s Asmita? Are Hassan, Hussain not outsiders?

All these sorts of incidents cater to Islamic extremism, separatism. It is crystal clear that State administrative machinery and governance is completely ineffective in various Muslim majority areas as if these are parts of extended Bangladesh. Bengali Asmita, Marathi Asmita Rajput Asmita, Tamil Asmita etc. are all integral parts of greater Hindu Asmita. Therefore, having been enlightened in the radiance of Rabi, we as a Bengali society should have to think beyond narrow and dirty politics detrimental to our Bengal’s Asmita as well as greater National interest and try our level best to save Bengal’s Asmita through a prolonged journey of mass awakening.