To Ms Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, goes the dubious credit of bringing in the scorched earth policy to state politics. The idea is to defeat one’s enemy by any possible means, even supping with the devil if necessary. Her desperation is understandable. She has been fighting against the CPI(M)-ruled government unsuccessfully for the last 30 years.

Now that that she sees the light at the end of a long dark tunnel - for a change, this time others are seeing it too! - she is in a desperate hurry to win . Nothing else explains her decision to drive the Tata Nano car project out of the state, when the factory and ancillary units were 85% ready, with over Rs 1500 crore spent. As economist Dipankar Dasgupta, by no means a Left Front admirer told a TV audience recently, “This incident has no parallel anywhere else in the world.”

Instead of showing any remorse at having caused this massive loss to a backward state’s economy and its public image, Ms Banerjee has declared that if necessary she will do again what she has done at Singur. There is no question of saying sorry. Her loyal lieutenants keep up the bluster, with less conviction or bravado.

But leader or follower, the TMC has avoided Singur like a plague spot after the Tatas pulled out. TMC leaders have been known informally to request “friendly newsmen” not to embarrass them with questions on their plans for Singur on live shows or at press briefings!

The 1200-odd farmers who refused compensation payment for the land given up at Singur under TMC pressure, are virtual paupers today. Over 85% of other farmers received a substantial package and have fended far better for themselves. This has been the price of the formers “unflinching support to the TMC cause”, although the party benefiting from their sacrifice — cumulative suicide describes it better! — has forgotten them!

Even more negative is Ms Banerjee’s mule-like refusal to co-operate in any manner with the Left Front, from attending government functions or official meetings at all levels. Following her, lesser leaders down to the bloc level do the same, which makes collective political functioning very difficult even within a democratic system.

This has happened nowhere else in the federal set-up of India, resulting in a unique constitutional deadlock. Repeated requests from Left leaders, from Central Congress leaders including Mr. Pranab Mukherjee downwards to requests made by successive governors Gopal Gandhi to M.K. Narayanan, have failed to move Ms Banerjee.

Naturally, land acquisition for any project has become almost impossible, because the main opposition party is more keen to instigate people to revolt against the LF, than to carry out its constitutional functions normally carried out by the opposition! And to hell with the development of a state where landless labour now numbers over 7.5 million with almost as many job seekers enrolled officially!

No wonder, its policy has slowly started to boomerang on the TMC already. As King Lear warned his daughter Cordelia, ”Nothing will come of nothing.” The only outcome of negativism is greater negativism. Now she is up against similar negativism directed against her own programmes and projects, directly from a Congress leader and indirectly from CPI(M)-backed organisations!

On December 15, the Union Railway Minister inaugurated new train services from Berhampore, Murshidabad. However, the most powerful district Congress (I) leader and MP Adhir Choudhury, called a rail roko the very same day, to spite her. This was held in protest of her “neglect” of the district. No one can take Choudhury’s threats, lightly. Along among Congressmen, he has been winning elections at all levels even during the LF’s dominance in the state. And he has not forgotten Ms Banerjee’s jibe against him at a meeting the late Rajiv Gandhi held with state Congressmen in 1984 — she had questioned the presence of “criminals”. Mr. Choudhury, for the record, unlike most Congressmen, is something of a” man of action” more in the North Indian sense of the expression! Upset, the status-sensitive Railway Minister got her loyal MPs to attack Mr, Choudhury as being the main stumbling block working against the joint TMC-Congress platform .They also referred to certain projects already undertaken for the district. Mr Choudhury, remained unfazed. He reminded his TMC detractors that unlike them, he was not tied to anyone’s apron strings.

The second setback for the TMC is even more serious. At Sakrail in Howrah district, Ms Banerjee had promised to set up a coach factory. True to style, she had promised jobs to locals who had lost land during acquisition.

However, as Railway authorities began the work, starting with land filling, there was local opposition. Local groups asked for written confirmation from the Railways of the verbal offer made by their Minister. The authorities refused and the organisations, backed by the CPI(M), stopped work. And there matter remains. The affected villagers alleged that their land was taken over for a pittance way back in 1982, but nothing was done all these years, even as they were deprived of their livelihood. The demand for compensation for their sufferings all these years is gaining momentum. Railway authorities have so far refused to give any commitment. However, they ruled out any fresh compensation package for land taken over in 1982, at current prices. Legally the railway authorities are on strong ground. . But this does not bring much comfort to the TMC. Legally, the TMC cannot agitate against the land acquisition undertaken for Rajarhat township years ago, either.

Economist Dasgupta made an interesting suggestion: he feels legal steps should be taken against organisations which take over land ostensibly for a project and then become active years later, if at all, to take the maximum economic advantage of the rising price line, at the expense of land owners.

So why the reference to Mahatma Gandhi? He had always insisted that in life and politics, means were as important as the ends — something both the TMC and the left parties have not learnt in West Bengal. (IPA Service)