‘Maa, Maati, Manush (mother, earth, people),’ declared firebrand Trinamool Congress leader ‘Didi’ Mamata Banerjee and rode to power in West Bengal as its new Chief Minister today. Cruising a wave of anti-CPI(M) sentiment and the pro-poor, pro-rural plank, she has given the staid, smug cadres led by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, a sound drubbing in the Assembly polls that concluded this month. She is the only victorious woman politician in India who has made it as CM on her own, without a godfather or kith-and-kin in politics. Mamata will be sworn into the 14th Legislative Assembly of the state on 18th May.
Down south, ‘Amma’ Jayalalithaa’s two-leaves symbol emerged triumphant over the Karunanidhi’s ‘sun’ (and his sons, daughter et. al.). A very senior journalist from a news channel had earlier remarked that the telecom scam did not matter to the rural masses of Tamil Nadu and that the DMK could always plead that it was a party of ‘dalits’ and is hence persecuted. In other words, it was predicted that the DMK-Congress alliance would romp home to victory. But the prophecy has been belied as the ‘poor’ and ‘common’ people have shown uncommon sense by rejecting outright the perpetrators (read DMK) and supporters (read Congress) of corruption.
Living in north India, before the Assembly elections, I had heard many Tamils say that they are ashamed to be known as belonging to a state where such large-scale corruption is allowed to pass so easily. Expatriate Tamils as well as those residing in Tamil Nadu can hold their heads high today onwards. The thing to do for the new AIADMK government would be to pull up its socks and set an example in righteous as well as good governance. The government must also help bring the DMK family into the purview of the 2G scam investigations, as the people of Tamil Nadu have given their verdict on that very issue.
If the Congress Party continues to tarry with and pamper its tainted political friends, it will be tarred with the same brush and ‘Queen B’ Sonia Gandhi will soon be unable to resurrect her and Manmohan Singh’s reputation as no-nonsense, clean politicians.
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