The five seeds of Mamata's self-destruction

By Lakshmi Chaudhry and Sandip Roy There’s never a dull moment with Didi. Mamata Banerjee’s over-the-top rhetoric, all-or-nothing attitude, firestarter tendencies, and out-of-left-field decisions make her a journalist’s delight – and every other politician’s nightmare. She’s crazy like a fox, claim those who see clever method in her madness. And until now, they may well have been right. The Congress party may be reeling from her latest thappad, but it’s Mamata who stands exposed, her weaknesses on full display. This Mamata bombshell bodes ill for her political career, at least on the national stage. Here are five reasons why yesterday’s “master stroke” may turn out to be one tantrum too far. One, it’s always war, all the time. Indian politics makes for strange and mostly unreliable allies. Jostling for advantage is par for the course amongst our leaders, who are always looking out for number one. But the big problem with Mamata is that she thrives on confrontation – as opposed to the usual wheeling-dealing. She goes from zero to crazy in under thirty seconds, and routine disagreements quickly and inexplicably escalate into all-out public wars. “I am not leaving UPA. But if the big boss of the big party feels I am unwanted then they should ask me to leave. My intention is not to topple the government but if they feel we are unwanted or a liability let them say; I am ready to leave,” Didi told reporters, singing a now all-too-familiar song. She’s like the spouse who starts throwing around the D-word at the hint of a marital spat. When Mamata says, “I am not scared of anyone and I did not threaten other political parties,” she scares everyone else, including her potential allies. The BJP may delight in the misery she inflicts on the Congress party, but it certainly isn’t yearning to take its place by her side. Over the past year, Mamata has proved that her wild and unstable ways are indeed a “liability” to any coalition which relies on her support. And this can’t be good news for her political fortunes in the long run. Two, the Left is no longer left out. Mamata had given the Left the drubbing of its life and she continues to make life miserable for the comrades. But now her latest drama has the Congress seeing red again. It’s time to use the dial-a-friend lifeline in Kaun Banega Rashtrapati. Pranab-da was on the phone calling all his old buddies in Bengal – Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Biman Bose asking them to put in a good word with the more hardline Karat faction. [caption id=“attachment_345074” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“With friends like Mamata, there isn’t much dharma in Indian politics. PTI”]  [/caption] “We are against the policies of the Congress, but there’s no denying that Pranabbabu is not only a politician but a statesman with vast political and administrative experience,” said CPM politburo member and state opposition leader Surjya Kanta Mishra. Mamata has dragged the exiled Communist party right back into the centre stage of national politics. And given her neverending antics, the Left suddenly looks alluring again to Congress leaders who likely feel they have traded the proverbial frying pan for the agonies of hellfire. Much like their old partner, Mamata has done her best to scupper every one of UPA’s reform policies, but her resistance comes with an added dose of public humiliation. Three, with friends like Mamata… There isn’t much dharma in Indian politics, including the coalition kind. But there are a few lakshman rekhas – however fuzzy – that are wisest not to cross. ‘Thou shalt not humiliate your ally’ is one such prohibition. Arm-twisting is fine, as is horse-trading and even outright betrayal. What is not okay is to publicly shame your brother-in-arms – more so in a society where izzat is all. Continues on next page.. And it’s this brazen lack of respect which finally provoked a response from her usually timid partner. “Aisi baaton mein ek maryada hoti hai (such negotiations have a protocol),” said Congress spokesman Janardan Dwivedi, expressing displeasure at Mamata’s unilateral decision to reveal Sonia’s choices for President. Ambika Soni too underlined the “lack of courtesy” reflected in the unprecedented step of embarrassing a sitting PM by including his name. Mulayam was happy to go along with Mamata’s plan to throw egg on the Congress’ face, but unlike her, he is just as willing to help wipe it off. Didi, however, doesn’t know when to quit. She’s too busy rubbing that rotten egg right into Sonia’s face to realise that it also makes her own mooh kala. An ally who exercises her clout to make her partner look weak and craven, over and over again, inevitably loses her utility, as Mamata may soon find out. Four, Mulayam’s the new kingmaker, not Didi. Now that she’s put all her wildcards on the table, Mamata’s gamble relies heavily on the support of her new-found buddy, Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has emerged as the true kingmaker. And unlike Didi, he is holding his cards close to his chest. “Please don’t ask for details on anything today… You know I am not a secretive person but today nothing please,” he told The Telegraph. Meanwhile, Mamata had to tie herself into knots trying to explain why she was talking to the press about their “joint” decision all by her lonsesome – while standing outside Mulayam’s house. Right now, Mulayam has everyone where he wants them – pleading for his favour – as emissaries from both sides scurry to his house. “We have not rejected Mukherjee’s candidacy. We said he is not acceptable to us. There’s a nuanced difference in the articulation,” finessed the wily Samajwadi general secretary Ramgopal Yadav. That “difference” may lie in SP's electoral calculus in UP or in a long list of goodies that Mulayam has in mind. Five, bets are high, but where’s the horse? While Mamata offered up three names, she’s made it clear that she’s putting all her money on one horse – APJ Kalam. He’s the only one of the three she talked to before putting her list out. And he’s the one she’s really batting for, as her Rajya Sabha man Derek O’Brien made that clear in a four-letter tweet: “APJK.” But Kalam’s always maintained he’ll only run if there’s consensus on his nomination, i.e. he’s assured of a victory. APJ Kalam likes to project an image of himself as the elder statesman who is above politics. Mamata has made him a political football in her proxy war with Sonia Gandhi. If APJ Kalam decides he does not want to risk a head-to-head with Pranab Mukherjee, Mamata will find herself completely empty-handed. Now that her preferred cat is out of the bag, it’s also clear that Somnath Chatterjee was just a Bengal pride red herring. The much-whipped Bengal Congress has pounced on the issue with glee. “She seems to have done this out of personal vendetta. But she has hurt the sentiments of Bengalis and she will have to pay the price," declared state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya. Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury compared her to Mir Jafar, saying, “She has betrayed Bengalis, and has become a shame for the people of Bengal.” Mamata derives her greatest strength from adversity, in playing the lone crusader taking on the world. Although she’s now on top, she still can’t shake off her rabble-rouser instincts. She seems driven by a compulsive need to create conflict in order to experience her power. And that may well be her downfall in Delhi, where discretion remains the greater part of valour. “A political observer told me this about her,” says Subir Bhaumik. “Eto boro netri, thaamtey paarbey to? Such a big leader. But does she know when to stop?”