End the violence in Bengal, now
The onus rests entirely on Mamata Banerjee to rein in TMC cadres and restore order
Ever since the Trinamool Congress (TMC) swept to victory in the West Bengal assembly elections, the state has witnessed unacceptable political violence, directed largely at workers of other parties in the state. In a rare instance of convergence, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Left and the Congress have all alleged that it is TMC workers who have vandalised their party offices and attacked party workers, with the BJP claiming that six of its workers have been killed. The TMC has rejected the allegations, but in light of the evidence available and the fact that it remains in power in the state (Mamata Banerjee will take over, for a third time, officially on Wednesday), the denial does not appear credible.
Bengal has a history of political violence, going back to the Naxal movement in the 1960s and
1970s to the coercive party machinery of the Left during its 34-year old rule. This machinery was imported, almost whole-scale, by the TMC — and the party unleashed a high degree of violence, both explicit and implicit, once it came to power in 2011. The aim was to weaken rivals and send a message to supporters of other political formations that there would be a cost to challenging Ms Banerjee. This violence was most visible in the 2018 panchayat elections, and was among the reasons for the growth of the BJP in the state.
The TMC won a legitimate mandate in the 2021 assembly polls — but clearly, its political victory has not altered the political culture of the party and the state. The triumph appears to have emboldened TMC workers to go after those who dared to challenge the party’s local hegemony.
But the violence is not just an effort to seek revenge or teach the Opposition a lesson, but also an attempt to consolidate power on the ground to stifle all dissent and stamp on the right of citizens to exercise free political choice. The top leadership of the party is either complicit in this violence or is unwilling to stop it — but in any case, the buck stops with Ms Banerjee. Unless she cracks down on the violence immediately, West Bengal’s chief minister, irrespective of her election success, will lose her moral and democratic standing.