With eye on 2026 Assembly elections, Mamata starts insulating herself

With the dawn of the New Year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appears to be strategically distancing herself from controversies and administrative shortcomings associated with her own Government as the state approaches its next Assembly elections in 2026.

- SUPROTIM MUKHERJEE

This approach is aimed at preserving her personal political capital and thereby enhancing her party's prospects in the forthcoming elections, say observers and even her own old-time associates.

On Thursday, she chaired an administrative meeting at Nabanna, the State secretariat, where she lambasted everyone from the Border Security Force (BSF) - whom she accused of allowing infiltrators from Bangladesh to her own Ministers and officials at a televised administrative meeting on Thursday. Mamata berated the officials in the districts and in the State capital for not keeping watch on what is happening in their areas.

She spelt out the ABCs of what an efficient administration should do.

"A to avoid, B for block, C for, what should I say, create confusion, D for destruction.

That is what a section of the officers are doing," Mamata said during the meeting at the State secretariat. "Instead be active, be bold, be creative, work for development, be energetic, keep the fnances in mind." She asked when was the last time the government officials had carried out field inspections on mid-day meals and other state government schemes.

"The block officials were instructed on carrying out voter list revision. Have they done anything? They don't work and we and the people have to face problems," Mamata said.

The Chief Minister, who did most of the talking during the meeting that went on for over an hour, pulled up most of the department officials, often singling out officers including the Director General of Police, (DGP) Rajeev Kumar.

"Rajeev, you have to take strong action against the DIB (District Intelligence Branch). They do nothing.

They keep no information, they provide no information," she said.