New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on the back foot after the rape-murder of a doctor at RG Kar hospital, with her administration found wanting in its response and facing public backlash, is now leaving no stones unturned to highlight the “anti-people” Centre in the backdrop of the south Bengal floods.
In what can be an attempt to turn the spotlight away from her administration, Mamata has not only escalated her stand-off with the Damodar Valley Corporation which she blames for triggering the floods by releasing water from dams, but also shot two letters on the issue to Prime Minister Narendra Modi within 24 hours.
At the same time, her party, the Trinamool Congress, is back on the ground, reaching out to people with the message that the Centre continues to “mistreat” West Bengal and that it is Mamata Banerjee who continues to stand by them, said a TMC MP.
“All leaders and ministers are on the ground, according to the instructions of the honourable Chief Minister. The Opposition thought RG Kar would be the end of Mamata Banerjee, but she continues to stand tall,” said the MP, speaking to ThePrint. “Nothing can stop her now as she is on the ground, telling the people how the Centre has created this flood situation.”
Last week, Mamata, for the first time, withdrew the state’s representatives in the Damodar Valley Corporation as a mark of protesting what she dubbed a “man-made flood” “engineered” by the DVC. In her letters to the PM on 20-21 September, she made the same accusation, adding that the DVC released water on the “unilateral directions” of the Central Water Commission.
Speaking to ThePrint, political analyst Snigdhendu Bhattacharya said, “Mamata Banerjee’s moves appear political. The issue of flooding is not new. Flooding of south Bengal districts due to the release of water from DVC dams has been going on for a few decades…. it seems Mamata is trying to use the issue to divert rural public anger towards the Centre.”
On the other hand, the WB government needs to inform people about the status of the much-talked Ghatal Master Plan, he said, referring to the flood management programme for the low-lying areas around Midnapore’s Ghatal. The state blames the Centre for not releasing its share of funds for the project.
Oppn ‘can’t shake her chair’
Mamata Banerjee has been touring flood-hit districts since 18 September. Just 48 hours before that, protesting junior doctors had forced her government to accept their demands on implementing administrative changes to plug the gaps exposed by the 9 August RG Kar hospital incident.
After the rape-murder, people had taken to the streets in Bengal in droves, raising concerns about the safety and security of women in a state led by a woman chief minister, with the incident emerging as a national talking point. The opposition parties — the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of (India) Marxist — had kept on the pressure on Mamata, who also holds the home and health minister portfolios, seeking her resignation.
With the south Bengal floods emerging as the next big crisis in the state, the Trinamool Congress is now hopeful of restoring Mamata’s image and steering the public anger towards the Centre.
“There is a saying in the Trinamool ranks — sheet, grissho, borsha, Mamata-yei bhorsha (be it winter, summer, or monsoon, Mamata is the only dependable one). She is a people’s leader — that is how you see her on the ground, standing in the water beside the people. No matter how much the BJP and the Left try to shake her chair or taint her image, actions speak louder than words,” a TMC leader told ThePrint.
In Bankura last week, Mamata squarely blamed the Centre for the floods in south Bengal. After a review meeting, she said, “Don’t do something where the people can lose their lives. Politically, you can fight me as much as you want. I have no problem. But don’t purposefully release water to kill the people, take away their livelihood, or take away the farmers’ land. I don’t want that to happen. It’s quite sad.”
In the matter of the floods, her party is not only putting the ball in the Centre’s court but also utilising the crisis to reconnect with the people while distributing relief. Trinamool sources said party chairperson Mamata Banerjee instructed ministers and senior leaders to be on the ground with the people, assisting with rescue and relief work alongside the administration.
The party has deployed senior cabinet ministers in each district — worst-hit by the floods — to ensure people are not aggrieved and relief materials reach them.
“Mamata Banerjee is making it clear that she is with the people. The country can see the way DVC has drowned Bengal. But Mamata Banerjee is on the ground, meeting the villagers and upholding her dedication to serve the people,” said another TMC leader.
“The political message is that she is here for the people and that the BJP and CPIM cannot fight her politically, so they are using any opportunity they get to demand her resignation. But the people of Bengal can see Mamata on the ground, not anyone else,” the leader said.
Also Read: Why CBI sought extended custody of Sandip Ghosh & Kolkata cop in RG Kar case
Letters to PM, relief work
On 20 September, Mamata shot her first letter to the PM, saying that the “man-made flood was engineered by the sheer neglect and turning a blind eye to sustained requests to address the technical, mechanical and managerial issues concerning the DVC system”.
In step with her warning about disengaging with the DVC, two of her officials, the Bengal power department secretary and the chief engineer (West) of irrigation and waterways, stepped down from their posts at the DVC.
The Centre, in its reply to Mamata Banerjee, claimed that the state officials were consulted on releasing water from the dams and kept informed at every stage.
Responding the same day, Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil said that “due to very heavy rainfall on 16 and 17 September 2024, by early morning of 17 September 2024, it became imperative for the committee to substantially enhance the releases in order to avoid any catastrophic impact in south Bengal due to possible dam failures. Even during this event, though the maximum inflow to the two reservoirs is estimated to be 4.23 lakh cusec, the combined releases from them was regulated to about 2.5 lakh cusec, that too for the minimum possible time.”
Mamata Banerjee wrote a second letter to the PM the next day on 21 September, seeking his intervention and claiming, “All critical decisions are made unilaterally by representatives of the Central Water Commission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, without arriving at a consensus… Moreover, peak releases from the reservoirs lasting for a prolonged period of 9 hours, were conducted with only 3.5 hours’ notice, which proved insufficient for effective disaster management.”
The state administration is currently conducting field visits to collect data and assess the total damage caused by the ongoing floods.
Speaking to ThePrint, West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said, “Officials are working round the clock and conducting their surveys. The reports are awaited at the secretariat, after which the official figures will be known.”
A West Bengal government official told ThePrint, “A team of 10, comprising principal secretary and secretary-rank officials, has been deployed in each of the (flood-affected) districts to take stock of the damage. Water released from Maithon dam, Panchet dam, and Durgapur barrage are primarily the reason behind the flood-like situation in the low-lying areas of south Bengal.”
The deluge poses a separate challenge to the state administration at a time when it has also been sitting on the negotiation table with protesting junior doctors at the state secretariat to resolve their issues in the wake of the RG Kar hospital rape-murder. Last Thursday, when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was in Medinipur, taking stock on the ground, the chief secretary met with junior doctors late evening, hearing their demands for creating safe and secure workspaces within medical colleges.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
