Relations between the two parties have turned glacial ever since the BJP swept to power at the centre, a far cry from the bonhomie they enjoyed in 1998. BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi did try to revive an old NDA type alliance, calling for the TMC's support. They assured a financial package for the highly debt-stressed West Bengal, during the Lok Sabha 2014 poll campaign.

In return, the BJP got the rudest of rejections from state Chief Minister Banerjee. She violated normal political etiquette by personally abusing Mr. Modi! Continuing her crusade against the new Prime Minister, who spearheaded the first non Congress one party majority win in Parliament, she did not even congratulate him. 'Diplomacy was never her strong point,' said a state -based observer.

It seemed she was signalling to the world and her Muslim vote bank in Bengal, how far she was prepared to go against her former ally, the BJP . This was a 180 degree turn from her earlier position, a decade back when she had joined the NDA. Referring to the BJP, she had said, 'No political party is untouchable' .She then followed it up by describing RSS cadres as 'true patriots' at a gathering.

While other chief Ministers, regardless of party affiliations and differences with the BJP — Ms Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu over the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, for instance — met the new PM, Ms Banerjee stopped visiting Delhi — until last week this month. As events showed, she would have done better to stay on in Kolkata!

Back in Kolkata to address a meeting of party workers, Ms Banerjee was at her vituperative best against the BJP. To some extent her ire was understandable. Ostensibly she was in Delhi to attend a Congress sponsored programme to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru, a point she made much of in her high decibel anti-centre diatribe in Kolkata.

Actually, she had spent only one hour with the Congress, the Left parties and other regional parties in Delhi. Her proposal to put together an anti-BJP federal front, a demand she has made before, met with no response either from the Congress or the Left. The Left refused point-blank to join the TMC in any Front. Even the Congress remained ice-cool to the idea. Only Mr, Sharad Yadav of the JD(U) promised to 'keep in touch.'

For all her subsequent public denunciation of the BJP, she actually met Mr, Advani, Mr, Singh and Mr, Jaitley, spending far more time with them than with other during the next day in Delhi. BJP insiders say she complained against the present campaign against her and the TMC by State party leaders like Rahul Sinha and the central leader Mr, Siddharthnath Singh. Referring to the BJP's recent programmes and its weaning away of supporters of other parties including the TMC, she charged them with fomenting 'communalism'.

'She did not get much joy from the BJP. Everyone was aware of how Islamic extremism imported from Bangladesh had spread all over the country, with Bengal as its new base. It is also common knowledge that they receive all support, shelter and help from the TMC local level leaders. The state administration turns a blind eye. The Burdwan blast of October 2 and its aftermath had clearly exposed the TMC's role in anti-national activities. No wonder the TMC is feeling the pressure, in addition to the severe political damage it has undergone over the Saradha chit fund scam,’ said a state BJP leader.

The question arises, what prompted Ms Banerjee to fire a salvo against the ruling BJP to resume hostilities, when the latter is in a far stronger position vis-a-vis her party?

The arrest of TMC Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Bose is the apparent answer. As a TMC insider explains, 'It is the manner of his arrest that hurt Mamata more than the act itself. She received no inkling of what was happening during her Delhi visit .She heard of Bose's arrest almost the first thing after her return! She lost her cool and when that happens, the world comes to know,' say TMC sources.

So angry was Ms Banerjee over the arrest of Bose, owner of the Pratidin newspaper group and acting Secretary of the prestigious Mohun Bagan club, that at times she was almost incoherent in her speech to party workers, along with senior Ministers, MPs and MLAs. She used a rude expression for which she had to apologise while referring to an opponent who criticised her party on TV. She took on the strongest Bengali/English newspaper group in the East, asking her followers to 'boycott' its publications/TV programmes.

Even politically, she contradicted herself. She declared that Bose's arrest was the BJP/CBI's way of hitting back at her for having attended the Nehru anniversary programme. 'I will attend a thousand such programmes if necessary, for the sake of secularism in India, let everybody know,' was her message.

Incidentally Bose is the fourth TMC leader including two Rajya Sabha MPs, to be arrested in connection with the multi core rupees Saradha chit fund scam. With the CBI calling in more TMC leaders for 'questioning', the number will rise in the days ahead. (IPA Service)