The truth is, despite the ranting and raving of the Left and the TMC, both parties are critically dependant on the central Congress for their present fortunes as well as future prospects, especially as the state assembly polls inch closer. In effect, the Congress high command is sharply reminding both sides of the limits of their powers.

During the past few days, the high command has sent a subtle message to the TMC to behave itself and a not-so-subtle warning to the Left that it had better not ride the high horse.

Where the Left is concerned, Union Home Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram is relentlessly pursuing the matter of lawlessness in parts of West Bengal, adding to the woes of state Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. His observations are justified. This gladdens the heart of TMC leader Ms Mamata Banerjee no end. And even Union Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee has temporarily stopped being a good Samaritan for Bhattacharjee during his troubles, as of now. He has aligned himself fully with Mr. Chidambaram’s hardline position on the law and order question.

TMC leaders have preened themselves over these developments. They say that the centre is finally beginning to understand their ally’s clout. But Mr. Chidambaram, who has been seen to stay away from any contact with Ms Banerjee at central hall gatherings and elsewhere, has promptly scotched the speculation that he was acting under any pressure from the TMC.

While taking a hard line against the Left — no doubt a political fallout over the recent deadlock in parliament over the issue of corruption at high places — the Congress has also firmly rejected the main demand of Ms Banerjee.

Ever since the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, she has been demanding early Assembly elections in Bengal. Now the centre, after a long silence, has indicated that the polls will be held in May 2011, along with other states. So much for the umpteen number of delegations, representations and volumes of complaints sent by the TMC over the years to the Prime Minister, the Congress President, other Ministers and the state Governor. The polls will be held on schedule, not a day earlier.

Ms Banerjee, remains as sensitive as anybody else over the changing political mood in Delhi, for all her apparent theatrics. Suddenly she is all light and sweet reasonableness. Gone is the threat that unless the centre accedes to her this or that request, the TMC will go it alone.

A very demure Ms Banerjee now tells the media that the timing is “reasonable, as other states will also have their elections”, as if the matter had just come to her notice!

The moral? It pays to crack the whip, once in a while, for the Congress. Also, it is not as though the TMC is having its own way on everything, as the going gets rougher for the Left. A recent statement issued on behalf of the Maoists and widely covered in the media, has savaged her for her apparent opportunism.

Attacking her for her failure to get the joint anti-Maoist operations stopped in Bengal, the statement questions her sincerity and asks why she has not resigned as per her own threat. Also it adds, people are not so stupid that they will accept her bland assertion that the centre does not consult her or her party over unpleasant official decisions on price rise, privatization, law and order and other issues. After all her party is a major ally of the Congress at the centre and its importance has increased after the ruling coalition’s problems with DMK’s Mr. Raja over the telecommunication scam.

At this writing, neither Ms Banerjee nor her followers have uttered a squeak against the Maoists over this statement. She admits officially that the Maoist agitation in terms of stoppages and sabotage, have cost the Railways Rs 500 crore so far in operational and material losses. The TMC-Maoist bonhomie, (which the TMC denies but the Maoists acknowledge) as made very clear even in the latest statement, is governed by the terms set by the Maoists, not her.

This certainly lends credence to the Left allegation against the TMC, as the Congress is repeatedly asked, how can it ignore the close ties between its main ally and the most dangerous menace facing the country?

By their latest statement, the Maoists have made things difficult for the TMC and the Congress. No wonder TMC leaders here have taken the simple way out : they think the message comes not from Maoists, but from the CPI-M, without advancing any substantiation of this claim.

However the three-cornered imbroglio may end, there is little doubt that the Congress has entered a new assertive mode, where both the TMC and the left will have to watch their steps. The party’s general secretary Mr. Rahul Gandhi, popular in West Bengal, is strategically scheduled to resume his visits to Bengal at this juncture. The Congress is now holding centrespace, for once upstaging both the TMC and the Left. This may cause more worry for the TMC than the Left. (IPA Service)