COVID And Amphan: Indian Contrasts In Crisis Times!

When the extremely severe cyclonic storm Amphan hit Kolkata and adjoining districts of West Bengal in the evening of 20^th May, 2020, with a speed ranging from 110 to 133 km per hour the damage could very well be anticipated. West Bengal is not new to cyclones originating in the Bay of Bengal, in fact, three cyclones namely ‘Fani’, ‘Bulbul’ and ‘Amphan’ swept over the state within a span of one year only—from May 2019 to May 2020. However, the force and speed of Amphan was unprecedented in the state as some point out that the areas had not seen such a severe cyclone in 283 years. By late night that fateful day, closeted in the control room of her secretariat in Howrah, Chief Minister Mamata Bannerji, distressed and sad, said while briefing the media online that a few districts of her state and Kolkata were totally destroyed and it would take days to assess the damage apart from the loss of lives. She desperately hoped that the central government would come in with some help as her state was already drained of resources with the battle against COVID-19 raging on. Didi, as she is popularly known, also hoped Prime Minister Modi would come and see the damage for himself. And, the Indian Prime Minister responded magnanimously, announcing the very next morning his decision to visit the state on 22^ndMay.

Political differences between BJP-ruled central government and TMC-ruled West Bengal state government are only too well known with both parties not stopping the rivalries and the parleys even during COVID times, in fact, fighting over COVID issues in recent days. Therefore, Mamata wishing for Modi’s presence and Modi’s gesture in coming immediately is being viewed in a new light: that they have come together in a spirit of cooperation in the time of crisis, setting aside politics for the moment. The Prime Minister expressed full solidarity with the state government—hit by twin-tragedies, and praised its efforts in tackling both the catastrophes. He assured full help at every step of the way ahead—restoration, reconstruction, rehabilitation and the like, and announced a preliminary financial package for immediate expenses.  Later in her media brief at the airport after seeing off the Prime Minister, Mamata Bannerji appreciated Modi’s visit and his promise of joint efforts, not saying anything against the offer of help as claimed by a ‘national’ news channel that started carrying supers ‘Mamata Slams Aid’.

Unfortunately, Maharashtra wing of the BJP failed to learn any lesson from its central leadership bonhomie, and selected this same say to stage public protests all over the state claiming the state government’s mishandling of the COVID fight, perhaps the very first instance of such kind in the worldwide war against the killer virus. One of their allegations, as puerile as it sounded, was that why Maharashtra has witnessed such a spike in cases while Kerala handled it so competently. Well, ‘serving’ the interests of the local people for decades they still don’t understand why Mumbai is Mumbai, and why it should have the largest number of COVID-19 infections, like, in a similar way, why the virus should select New York for its special treatment. In totality, they must understand that COVID is not a political phenomenon and doesn’t go by who ruled which state. At this hour of crisis for the state the best option for them is to inspire the people to follow the precautions religiously and to jump in the fray for total cooperation. Perhaps, in India, political parties need multiple tragedies strike in unison to make them lose their political rivalries and power-hungry politics, even if for the time being.  

The Cartoon Conspiracy And Merciless Mamata!

Mamata Bannerji threw the Left government in West Bengal—an eastern state of India—out of power in 2011 after its marathon rule of 34 years. She got an overwhelming majority for her party Trinamool Congress (TMC). Trinamool means grass-root and Mamata Bannerji—the Chief Minister of West Bengal—has been firing all guns to uproot what she calls Leftist ‘conspiracies’.

First, the new Chief Minister got unnerved by an unceasing stream of baby deaths in many hospitals across the state. Instead of going into the root of the problem she conveniently decided to identify the Left as the root-cause. Not only that, she dismissed cases of dastardly crimes against women in her capital Kolkata as made-up ones thanks again to some leftist roots of the victims.

Second, Mamata wanted to initiate an era of change in the state by dictating to public libraries to stop subscribing to newspapers linked to political parties other than hers. Disturbed by the specter of deep-rooted communism in the state she also decided to erase Marx and Engels from all school textbooks. ‘This is arrogance…intolerance…suppression of freedom of speech…dictatorship! Democratic traditions are being rooted out!’ cried the citizens and intellectuals of West Bengal who were the first in India to bask in the renaissance.

Third, so rooted to reality the new Chief Minister was she objected to everything done by India’s coalition government at the centre of which TMC is a dictating partner, be it in the social or economic or internal security or technology and science sector. She even sacked her own party’s Railway Minister at the centre for the crime of presenting a good and sensible railway budget.

And the latest, Mamata Bannerji got one professor of a reputed university of Kolkata beaten and arrested for taking part in presenting and forwarding a cartoon in the internet. The cartoon depicted a narrative regarding her sacking of the Railway Minister and putting in one of her faithful party men as a replacement.

Cartoons are very common in the lives of Indian politicians. They may hate to see themselves in those satirical cartoons on a daily basis, but they also realize the publicity generated by such works. They also believe candidly that in a democracy you must learn to laugh at yourself. So practical indeed!

But Mamata Bannerji only saw a ‘conspiracy’ in the act and a supposed attack on the modesty of a woman. A cyber crime against women! In fact, the cartoon was a creative work based on famous characters of a Satyajit Ray film which could hardly even be understood by the so-called ‘conspirators’. Public outrage broke out across the country with huge cries of protest by the netizens in particular, but Mamata continued to defy. As public opinion in her own state became too strong for her to ignore she tried some damage control by allowing four of the gang who assaulted the professor to be arrested. But they were released on bail immediately while the professor was kept in lockup for a full night. And, the professor feared for his life with an incredibly large number of charges lodged that could put him in jail for at least one year. Mamata’s antics have attracted international reactions too. Not only this professor, but Mamata Bannerji also arrested an eminent molecular biologist Partho Sarothy Ray and kept him in custody for over two weeks now for a protest rally he did not attend. Apart from scientists all over even ‘arguably the most controversial intellectual alive’, Noam Chomsky had written to the Prime Minister of India to intervene in this growing intolerance against academicians in West Bengal. 

Mamata in many Indian languages means ‘love or kindness’. Driven, of course, by the urge to ‘change’, if Mamata becomes merciless our democratic roots will definitely get jolted at the very grass roots, you wonder! And, this ‘change’ has been attempted by someone who claims to belong to the ‘grass-root’. Such a confounded confusion of roots!

Even if you admit Left conspiracies are there, the very thought about the possibility of  ‘right’ conspiracies taking  deep roots would send shivers down your spine.