The Challenge Of Mamata Banerjee

If there's one person who has challenged the might of the Bhartiya Janata Party in the last year, it's West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The third time chief minister isn't just satisfied at having beaten the BJP severely in the state in the 2021 elections. The 67-year-old hasn't forgotten the way she was taunted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the entire union cabinet which camped in the state ahead of the elections. On Independence day, Banerjee said that Modi and the BJP will not be returning to power in 2024. It's an assertion that comes after lots of activity in the past few weeks and months. Two of her closest aides Anubrata Mondal and Partha Chatterjee have been arrested by enforcement agencies on corruption charges but like other opposition leaders, Banerjee says it's a clear sign that the BJP is running scared of losing elections and that's why they are targeting her key men and she's not afraid. In this episode, we look at the various aspects of the Trinamool Congress versus Bhartiya Janata Party fight. The BJP may not have won Bengal, but they did manage to win 77 seats last year, which was a major jump from the 3 seats they held in the previous election. The BJP also won 18 of the 42 seats in the 2019 elections and if they improve this in 2024, it will be a major stepping stone towards the central rule. So, who's right- Mamata or Modi? We look at what the two have in common (you'd be surprised at how much they share) and where key differences lie. We also look at how Hindutva was tweaked in Bengal and now how it's playing out nationally. And finally, we look at the role of Abhishek Banerjee, her nephew and the party's general secretary with his national ambition. Journalist and author of Mamata: Beyond 2021 (https://www.amazon.in/MAMATA-Beyond-2021-Jayanta-Ghosal/dp/9354894933) Jayanta Ghoshal and senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, Neelanjan Sircar, join HT's Sunetra Choudhury in this episode.