A recent announcement by State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjeesuggested that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) would advance the polls slightly, sometime around March 2016 or so. The tenure of the present government ends in May 2016. But this is contingent upon her ability to bring the hundreds of warring factions within her own indisciplined party. Despite the arrest of South 24 Parganas MLA Dipak Halder for his alleged rowdyism at a local college, thereare no signs that Ms Banerjee’s belated appeals for party discipline have any effect.

It is worth asking what was Halder trying achieve by attacking his opponents (within the TMC!) and defying the police? It seems he was trying to take possession of a room in the college occupied by his opponents. If TMC MLAs are willing to break their heads over such issues, is it any wonder that their followers these days settle scores among each other over illegal cash transactions from protection or real estate promotion rackets?

During the past four months, greater Kolkata areas have seen no fewer than 20 gangland clashes involving the use of illegal firearms. The police hardly make any efforts to arrest anybody or seize illegally held weapons. Whereas in other states during the past quarter or so, several hundreds of illegal weapons were seized through regular raids, the figure for Bengal was around 15!

From state-based industrialists to civil society spokesmen, from workingwomen to jobless workers, everybody strongly condemns the present spell of lawlessness, resulting in rapes, bomb blasts,snatchings, armed robberies, killings and extortion. The lack of investments has reached critical proportions. Commenting on the rampaging armed sand mining gangs, BJP spokesmen Krishanu Mitra points out, “Where no new industry is coming because of the poor law and order and the state’s unfriendly land acquisition policy, naturally illegal trades and practices will thrive. Even criminals have to eat.”

Does any of this worry the Chief Minister or hordes of her loyal political underlings? Not apparently. She has just announced a fresh cash grant, no string attached, to ‘youth clubs’ in the state (the second this year). Some of these ‘clubs’ exist on paper, functioning from a small room, sometimes not. The objective: to improve the level of (blood?) sports in the state. Without exception these are all pro-TMC clubs, and the members are known to play a somewhat ‘muscular’ role during elections. So far over Rs 230 crore of the taxpayers’ money has reached these elements, although pensioners, retired teachers and government employees go without their dues for months.

The state government has announced a 10 per cent Dearness Allowance payment for its employees, to be effective from January, 2016. This follows the recent DA increase by 6 per cent for Central government employees. Unlike their central government counterparts, Bengal government employees receive DA adjustments only once a year, not twice.

These employees have been a deprived lot in the matter of getting regular DA payments. Even after Ms Banerjee’s announcement, they would be receiving 44 per cent less than their Union government colleagues, if not more. By Jan next, the Centre would announce another payment for its employees.

Most other state governments, from Assam to Punjab, from Andhra to Haryana, have looked after their employees much better. State government employees in these states have received between 6 to 12 per centless than those in the Central government services in terms of DA. Tripura comes next to Bengal, with its employees drawing 25 per cent less from central DA levels.

No wonder the matter has long beena bone of contention between state government employees and Nabanna (West Bengal secretariat). But Ms Banerjee has not had to face a singe day’s strike or any prolonged agitation over such a sensitive issue during her tenure so far. This would have been unthinkable under the Left Front, which in any case had stood by its employees, no matter how precarious the financial situation.

Ms Banerjee had chosen confrontation and fear as her main policy instruments, where other leaders and governments would have called for dialogues with employees’ organisations.

“The fact that the DA payments would be made in January next is significant. It means the elections cannot be far away. Ms Banerjee also announced a bigger hike than what is usually announced when such increases are made, from the usual 6-7 per cent range. She does not favour elections in summer or during examination months like April. For the past few weeks, whether in official meetings or in party gatherings, she has been driving everybody hard to complete as much of the pending projects as possible and regularly monitoring progress. She is in a hurry. Leaders tell us that the polls will be brought forward,” says a TMC MP.

To complicate matters for the ruling party, the opposition seems to be shaping up better. The Left sponsored bandhs whether at the national or state level have drawn good response. The Congress has received a clear signal from Delhi that there is no questionof any adjustments with the TMC. The Left, the Congress and even the BJP have come together to make the bandhs and other protest programmes more effective. In Siliguri municipal elections, the unofficial opposition combination succeeded not only in defeating the TMC, but in ensuring that the ruling party could not carry out vote rigging through its armed supporters.

In the remaining municipal polls at Asansol, and the Salt Lake/Rajarhat areas, no wonder a similar opposition consolidation has been reported. This time, a civil rights group has come forward to assist the opposition at Rajarhat and other areas while a dissident faction of the TMC too has joined it. Opposition rallies, whether involving students or other groups, have become larger, better attended. It is too early to ascertain whether this growing strength will translate effectively in terms of ballots in the days ahead.

But there is no doubt that for alltheir usual bluster and apparent swagger, the TMC leaders are worried. Proof of this is the scurrilous personal attacks launched by TMC leaders like ministers Firhad Hakim and Jyotipriya Mallik, not to mention MPs like Idris Ali. They have descended to the level of ridiculing the physical disabilities and problems of their Left or Congress opponents in their speeches of late. (IPA Service)