At her initiative, a tripartite agreement between the State, the Centre and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha was signed on July 18, for setting up a Gorkhaland Territorial Administration with wider powers than the previous body, the Gorkha Autonomous Council, had. The accord was widely welcomed by the Gorkhas. Though the GJM leaders have not, for the record, given up the demand for a separate Gorkhaland, they are happy with the new arrangement and have indicated they are not going to take to the streets again. In order to assuage the strong feeling of the Gorkhas, Mamata Banerjee decided to give the name “Gorkhaland” to the new body. She persuaded the Centre to overcome the initial reservations it had about the name.

For negotiating with the Maoists, she set up a five-member group of interlocutors which included a well-known human rights activist and a journalist, among others. The interlocutors are still at their job. However, the Maoists have kept up their armed attacks on policemen and workers of political parties, including Trinamool. If they refuse to respond to Mamata’s call to give up arms and join the democratic process, she will have the people’s support if she is forced to take strong measures against the Maoists. She has also kept her promise of reviewing the cases of all detained political prisoners and many of them have been released.

The Left Front Government had brought the State to total financial bankruptcy. This is the major problem that Mamata Banerjee has inherited. The Centre has already released some funds for development. Senior Trinamool Congress leaders agree that in the present situation, there is an obvious limit to imposing fresh taxes and a long-term solution lies in reviving the closed industries in the public and private sectors and setting up new industries. This alone can generate revenue. The State cannot depend on the munificence of the Centre. Some closed units have already been identified and efforts are on to re-open them. The possibility of reviving some of these under public-private participation is being explored.

Mamata is also trying to improve the conditions of the government hospitals which have become cesspools of corruption. Clashes between the relations of patients and the hospital staff, including doctors, are taking place almost daily. Anarchy prevails in the State’s educational institutions. Students belonging to rival unions often come to clash. There is a lot of complains against the teaching staff, most of whom were appointed by the previous Government on the basis of their political loyalty rather than their experience and competence. The new Government is trying to bring back the academic atmosphere in the educational institutions, prevent inter-union clashes and ensure that teachers devote themselves to teaching rather than to politicking. All these will take time.

The biggest problem the Trinamool Congress is facing is, however, internal and organizational. After the defeat of the Left Front, the criminals and other lumpen elements which were engaged in various anti-social activities under the patronage of the CPI-M and other constituents of the LF, started deserting the Left camp. There was a mass exodus of such elements to the Trinamool Congress. And they continued to do, in the name of the Trinamool Congress, what they had earlier been doing in the name of the CPI-M. In many districts they outnumbered and marginalized the old TMC workers who are now fuming in anger.

There have been frequent clashes between the new and old workers. Group clashes have also occurred over the sharing of spoils and controlling sources of income like the big bheris or fisheries. One case which was widely reported in the media was the “refunding” of a “fine” of Rs. 4 lakhs which the TMC workers had extorted from CPI-M leaders in Chandrakona Road area of West Medinipur. TMC’s problem is that the party is centred round the personality of a single leader. Others do no count. That has prevented the emergence of a structured leadership from the district, sub-division, right down to the gaon panchayat level. Everybody looks up to Didi for everything.

On the political plane, there is an uneasy relationship between the TMC and the Congress. The Congress is aggrieved that at several places the TMC workers have forcibly occupied local Congress offices and assaulted Congressmen. The WBPCC has given a list of over thirty such cases to Mamata. PCC chief, Pradip Bhattacharya who was one of the most vocal supporters of a poll alliance with the TMC and fought against the anti-alliance lobby in his party, is himself unhappy at the behaviour of TMC workers. The alliance, however, will continue, despite irritants. Public opinion is too strong to allow the TMC or the Congress to weaken the alliance. (IPA Service)