Mamata-Sonia bonhomie: a bittersweet gimmick?

By Sreyashi Mazumdar

Donning a starched white cotton saree with a sturdy look capable enough to belittle a burly being, her garrulity etched with a tinge of indecisiveness fleshing out her ineptitude or rather her connivery at feigning her political purports and her erratic effrontery, limns a perfect picture of the street fighter, Mamata Banerjee a.k.a Didi.

Photo credit: www.politicalmirror.com

Well known for her quips and high-handedness, she has often been seen lambasting political leaders on camera. Be it her take on burning issues like Land Bill or the GST or her sudden fall out with the UPA-2 government, she has been brazen enough to put forth her opinions on the same. However, her sudden political cards and bargains exemplify her muddled state of mind.

Episode 1

"I am fed up of them…Congress is for the corruption, of the corruption and by the corruption…Congress should be held responsible for the damage done to the party (UPA-2) …they are using money power, muscle power and mafia power," said Mamata Banerjee on being asked of her breakup with UPA-2, as quoted in an interview in CNN-IBN.

Chewing over the pervaded disenchantment which creeped into the alliance owing to a series of contentious issues like FDI in retail, fuel price hike, diesel fare hike, in a way sets off a tone of probable enmity between the two conjecturing parties under question.

Further, "balam chale bazaar, kutte bhauke hazaar but I will keep working. Nothings bothers me," sounded out Mamata on being chastised by the ruling Congress, as quoted in a Times of India report.

Attuning to a flavor enused by the antagonism, she also went to the extent of cobbling up a third front that would fight the dynastic politics of the Congress party.

"I am game for a third front that would essentially comprise state chief ministers. Their amalgamation will set forth a true essence of democracy, a democratic environment that would essentially picture a true centre-state relation, " Didi added.

The saga of hostility that led the two political parties Congress and the Trinamool Congress follow their individual paths amid the epiphany of Indian politics started in 2012.

Episode 2

With sparks of thunder vexing the calm, hinting at a sudden shift, turning the situation topsy-turvy on the 12th day of August 2015 the second episode of a story ended on a bad note.

In an attempt at uniting with her populist agenda of "it is the people to whom we should address, and it is the people for whom we should work" Mamata braced up for a head-on collision with the NDA government.

Despite her nod to the India-Bangladesh treaty and the GST bill, she seems to have been musing on a typical indi-filmi lines, where in long lost siblings have to meet and nail the climactic end that would inevitably ensure the success of the same and has churned her love for Sonia, in order to make her presence on the political stage nothing less than a cock-a-hoop.

According to media reports, she was seen cozying up with her far-famed adversaries. Her newfangled bonhomie with Sonia Gandhi and the sugar coated words bestowed upon Gandhi further festooned the political glitterati.

"I have learnt it from you," said Sonia Gandhi on being congratulated by Ms. Banerjee for her relentless efforts at stalling the Land bill. Further, they exchanged amiable gestures and added on to the surging affability.

Therefore, reading through the developments avid political followers are awaiting a reunion which might turn the tables on BJP. The new union might lead to a deal at the local level that would cement TMC-Congress alliance in West Bengal or might turn out to be a gimmick played by the street fighter Banerjee to divert all the attention for her support to the NDA endorsed bills.

Mamata-Sonia bonhomie: a bittersweet gimmick?

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