Mamata knows that her popularity is on the wane. Even the Trinamool Congress insiders admit that it may have dipped in urban areas. Most intellectuals like Mahaswetha Devi who backed her two years ago, got disenchanted and distanced themselves. The honeymoon with the media also came to an end soon.

Mamata’s critics find that the enormous political upheaval that resulted from ousting the Left has not brought the expected changes. In fact the old power structures have only changed hands with no let up in political violence as TMC supporters, many of whom have changed sides from the left have a free run in the state.

In last May, Mamata had given herself 100 out of 100. for her government’s performance when it completed one year. By the second year, that spirit of celebration seems to have vanished. The war cry with which she stormed into the government of“ Ma, Maati, Manush”, is now mere a whimper.

The reasons are simple. She was a good opposition leader and confrontationist but now she is the ruler. For all her failures she has blamed every one else including the media, intelligentsia and the Congress party led UPA. Her impulsive and suspicious nature and her frequent changes made in the administration, have not yielded any results.

Of course ‘Didi ‘ justifies that two years were not adequate to evaluate her performance as she carried the baggage of the left front regime. The TMC’ s mandate was not only to bring a new political culture but also to energize the shambled economy. There is a massive drop of investments and even her promises as Railway minister have not been implemented. When her government organized an investment mela earlier this year, the response was poor in comparison to the grand show her Gujarat counterpart Modi had exhibited. Even on – Singur and Nadigram- on which she rode to power, not much has been done. Her critics say that her government has shown conflicting priorities of financial restraint. Above all, she had failed to extract the special financial package from the UPA while the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has succeeded. But the biggest jolt came on the recent Sardha chit funds scam in which her party leaders are alleged to have been involved. Thousands of those who have put in their lifetime savings in the chit fund, are now left on the streets.

Mamata, in her report card patted herself claiming that while the country registered growth in GDP by 4.96 per cent, agriculture 1.79 per cent, industry 3.12 per cent and services 6.59 per cent, Bengal recorded 7.6 per cent, 2.56 per cent, 6.24 per cent and 9.48 per cent growth in the sectors respectively.

But there are some areas where Mamata has done well. The first is the law and order situation. The naxal deaths in the Junglemahal areas have come down considerably and she has also pumped in money in the area for jobs and development. The second is the 30 per cent increased tax collection and the third is the improved labor situation because of ban on bundhs. She has also tried to resolve the Gorkhaland problem.

Why is there a perception that Mamata has not fulfilled the expectations? First of all, she is a confrontationist and a successful agitator but not a good administrator. Now that she has become the chief minister, she is unable to blame the state government any more and therefore puts all the blame on her predecessor governments and also the centre.

Secondly, she is authoritarian and does not brook any difference of opinion in the party. “ Didi Bolche” is the mantra of the TMC and she has no trust in her colleagues whom she keeps on tenterhook all the time.

Thirdly, Mamata has opposed the UPA government on every issue be it on the NCTC or FDI in retail or the land acquisition bill or petrol price hike even while she was a partner in the UPA. The result was that she was unable to get any thing for the state despite supporting UPA for one and a half years with her strong contingent.

Fourthly, she wants to play a bigger national role, which she tried in the selection of the Presidential candidate last year but failed. Mamata is looking to a post poll scenario where the TMC could emerge with a larger number of seats and play the king- maker.

Fifthly, she has no strategy to take Bengal forward and has not concentrated on development unlike her counterparts Modi, Jayalalitha, Nitish Kumar or Naveen Patnaik.

Mamata’s only solace is that the left parties, whom she had trounced, are in disarray and the Congress lacks a charismatic leader to take her on. If Mamata continues to hold out, it is largely because of her hold in rural Bengal. While urban expectations of her have dimmed, she continues to keep in touch with the people in the rural areas. The ensuing Panchayaat polls will give an indication about her popularity index.(IPA)