GIRI’S BLUNDER MAY FLOUNDER TMC’S TRIBAL PROSPECTS

The Trinamool government is in a spot once again thanks to West Bengal minister Akhil Giri who has come under severe criticism over his controversial remarks on President Droupadi Murmu recently.

KEEPING DISTANCE
After a video of his comments went viral, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) minister apologised on Friday and Sunday and on Monday, the party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, had said the party condemned and apologised for her minister’s comments on President Droupadi Murmu. Saying it is not in her party’s culture to make personal comments, she added the MLA has been cautioned over his comments and her party has also apologised. “We respect the President a lot. She is a very sweet lady, I apologise for the comments,” Ms Banerjee said, adding that “Akhil (Giri) has done something wrong; I condemn the comments and I apologise. “Beauty is not about how you look, it is about how you are from the inside,” she added. Earlier, while the BJP demanded his arrest and removal from his post besides a public apology from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the TMC distanced itself from his comments. The TMC is having a tough time as the party, in order to steer clear of controversy, has had to distance itself from a lot of its stalwarts. Calling the comments “irresponsible”, the party had distanced itself from Giri’s remarks. “This is an irresponsible comment & does NOT represent the views of @AITCofficial. We are extremely proud of the President of India & hold her & her office in the highest regard,” read the tweet by TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale. The BJP claimed when he made those comments, the women welfare department minister of Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet Shashi Panka was also there. While sharing the video on social media, the state BJP accused Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool of being anti-tribal.

COURTING TROUBLE
Such a remark by one of its ministers regarding President Droupadi Murmu threatens to derail the TMC’s ambitious plans to keep the substantial tribal population in West Bengal from drifting away towards the Saffron might. BJP, meanwhile, is doing everything to keep the heat on TMC and have also demanded his resignation.

THE TRIBAL CARD
Tribals account for about 7 to 8% of Bengal’s population. In four parliamentary constituencies in Junglemahal region, comprising Jhargram, Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore districts, and eight constituencies spread across North Bengal districts, such as Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Alipurduar, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur and Malda, the tribal population count may go up to almost 25%. It may be recalled that in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had surprised the TMC by winning 18 seats… while the TMC registered wins in 22 seats. What is important is that the BJP had picked up considerably in the tribaldominated areas and the party had bagged all the seats in Junglemahal and six constituencies in North Bengal.

SEESAW BATTLE
As they say, nothing and no one are permanent enemies. The TMC had fought and won a huge number in the 2021 Assembly elections, especially in the Junglemahal districts, which led to the TMC’s massive mandate. Modi government’s ace decision while nominating Murmu as the President had made the TMC chief wary of the binary of regional politics. After the former Jharkhand Governor’s name was announced, Mamata had created a flutter by saying that if the BJP had consulted the Opposition parties, Murmu could have been a “consensus candidate” for the country’s top post.

WHAT DIDI HAD SAID
“Had we known that they (the NDA) were planning to field a tribal woman or a member of a minority community, we could have thought about it (consensus). We have great respect for people from tribal communities and for women,” Mamata said, adding that now that (Yashwant) Sinha had already filed his nomination papers…. Not only stopping at that, the astute politician that Prime Minister is, apart from nominating Murmu as the President, the PM through his Mann Ki Baat reached out to the Santhal tribe by lauding the efforts of Prof Sripati Tudu from none other than West Bengal, who had translated the Constitution into Santhali language’s Ol Chiki script. For TMC, matters could not be worse as the party’s supremo was set to visit Jhargram to celebrate tribal legendary figure Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary on Tuesday in a bid to reach out to the tribals and Giri’s gaffe has dampened this initiative. TMC had also declared the day as a general holiday. BJP’s West Bengal state president, Sukanta Majumder, used the opportunity to target the TMC and he also accused the party (TMC) of being “anti-tribal”. Amit Malviya, incharge of the BJP’s National Information & Technology Dept, and co-incharge of West Bengal, tweeted: “Mamata Banerjee has always been antiTribals, didn’t support President Murmu for office, and now this. Shameful level of discourse.” The TMC had distanced itself from Giri’s remarks soon after the row broke out on Friday. Party said that what Giri said was “irresponsible”, and did not represent party’s views. “We are extremely proud of the President & hold her & her office in the highest regard,” tweeted TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale. On Sunday, TMC Adivasi leader and minister Jyotsna Mandi said: “I cannot support what Giri said regarding a woman President.” TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, who also condemned Giri’s remarks, added, “Where is the condemnation from BJP leaders when (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari keeps referring to the honorable CM as ‘Begum’? Where is the BJP’s ‘Nari Samman’ plank when its leaders use reprehensible remarks against women leaders?” Already on the backfoot with job scam and with party stalwarts like Mondol and Partha in custody and with panchayat elections in a few months’ time, now Giri’s words has put TMC in deep trouble.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

ROBIN ROY  The writer is Senior Journalist and former Managing Editor, First India