'Alliance with TC has made Cong redundant in south Bengal'

Q&A: Subrata Mukherjee, Working President, West Bengal Congress Committee

Subrata Mukherjee, working president of the West Bengal unit of the Congress party, is a worried man. Though a veteran in the state Legislative Assembly, this time he contested from the Bankura Lok Sabha constituency, which went to the polls on April 30. But his worries have nothing to do with the possible outcome of the polls. In an interview with Business Standard, Mukherjee says the Congress-Trinamool alliance in the state has caused heartburn among the Congress workers in south Bengal where the party’s existence is at stake as a result of the alliance. Excerpts:

On the election day, you appeared very relaxed. Yet, you claim that you are a worried person. Why?
My worries have nothing to do with the polls. I am satisfied with the way I could organise my election. I got more than hundred per cent support from the TC supporters. Basically, I was riding on the pro-Mamata Banerjee wave there. If the CPI(M) does not indulge in any mischief during the counting of votes, which they are capable of doing, then I am confident of doing well.

 

Are you hopeful of snatching away the seat from the CPI(M)?
I would like to put it this way. If I lose there, nobody would blame me, but a win will make me a hero. I stand a good chance there.

Then what makes you a worried man?
Can’t you see that we are sitting on a volcano? Once the election is over, it might erupt any moment. I am referring to the state of mind of our workers. The alliance between the Congress and the TC is likely to benefit the Opposition in this election. But, at the same time, it has caused tremendous heartburn among the Congress workers in south Bengal. The existence of Congress party is at stake in south Bengal due to this alliance.

Do you mean to say this alliance is not working well?
No, what I am trying to say is that the present arrangement between the TC and Congress had made our party redundant in Kolkata and its surroundings. Our workers are livid with that prospect. Look, anybody can tell you that a meaningful alliance between the Congress and TC would do miracles in the 2011 Assembly elections. But how we are to take it forward? On June 28, 19 municipalities in the state will go to polls. Next year, around this time, election will be held in another 82 municipalities, including the Kolkata corporation. Since the Congress was not allowed to fight from a single Lok Sabha seat in and around Kolkata, one can imagine the number of seats we would be given to fight in a majority of the municipalities by the TC. The frustration and anger of Congress workers will definitely damage our common prospect in the coming polls.

But this time, Congress workers must be fighting heart and soul in support of the TC candidates?
There is at least one seat where I myself have refused to work in favour of the opposition candidate. At Jaynagar, the SUCI is fighting as the partner of Mamata’s alliance. Jaynagar comes under South 24 Parganas, I am in charge of the district on behalf of the Congress. I have been getting calls from Delhi to work in support of the SUCI candidate. But how could I do that? The SUCI has put up candidates against us elsewhere. So, I just put down the telephone without responding to their (Congress high command) calls.

So, what will be the scenario after the present election?
I am really worried. We will have to call our state-level meeting. We will also have to hold our organisational meetings at the district levels. We will have to face our workers.

Why it had to come to such stage?
I think after the Left tried to bring down the UPA government last year on the nuclear deal issue, the Congress high command was angry with the Left that they went in to forge an alliance with Mamata in a hurry. They did not bother to bargain a bit for a few more important seats in south Bengal. The Congress high command did not apply their mind while entering into a seat-sharing arrangement with Mamata. The municipal and assembly elections are different from the Lok Sabha elections. The discontent of the workers might not impact the Lok Sabha elections in a large scale, but it would definitely cause a serious problem for the alliance during the coming municipal and Assembly elections.

Any chance of repairing the damage?
Now the control levers are in the hands of Mamata. I wish, Mamata would be a bit more accommodative towards her alliance partners, and help forge a more meaningful and solid united opposition against the Left before the state Assembly elections.