Who's afraid of the big bad Bandh? Not Mamata

Failure is the mark of success in West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a press conference to tout what she dubbed the “failure” of the general strike. “Bengal will lead the nation. This is the significant achievement of today,” declared the CM.  According to her there was 98-100 percent attendance in government offices. “It proves that if you wish to work then there is a way. I am truly proud,” she said. [caption id=“attachment_228092” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Trains ran on time and government buses on the streets of Kolkata, Mamata said. A passenger travels on a handcart in Kolkata today. PTI”] [/caption] Newspapers carried pictures of government employees bedding down for the night at Writers’ Building after a meal of egg curry and rice. The whole scene looked like an office picnic as the employees turned offices into makeshift dormitories. One could imagine a rousing round of antakshari was on the cards. Rooms were kept open not just at Writers’ but at the Netaji Indoor Stadium and other government buildings. “I am quite certain Mahakaran (Writers’) has never witnessed such a night since Independence,” one clerk who has worked there for 28 years told The Telegraph . The CM heralded this as a turning point in Bengal’s history. “It proves our work culture is good. For the last 34 years the problem was leadership,” she said. “Leaders must lead the people, not just the party. They must set the example. The destructive culture of bandhs should end today.” Then she went on to tick off everything that was open. The Mint was running. The trains ran on time, even a little ahead of schedule. There were at least 50 more government buses on the streets of Kolkata. She made no mention of the fact that the government had threatened to apply break of service rules which would affect pensions on employees who stayed away from work. “There is no bandh,” she said dismissively in response to a reporter’s question. “We are totally open.” Television had a somewhat more mixed picture. Trams trundled by with only a handful of people inside. The normally jampacked Shyambazar five point crossing looked forlorn with only a handful of people. Shops were shuttered. Street dogs napped in the middle of the crossing. At the Tollygunge film studio, all the studios were open but no work was happening. College teachers spent the night on campus or nearby hotels and reported to work but to empty class rooms. Auto [caption id=“attachment_228105” align=“alignright” width=“380” caption=“Air passengers stranded at the NSCBI airport in Kolkata today due to the strike.PTI”] [/caption] drivers had been allegedly threatened by the transport minister who had told them that if they did not come out today, they would not be allowed to ply tomorrow. Many came out in the morning but 24 Ghanta news channel reported that as the day wore on decided it was a waste of time and fuel. There were reports of sporadic incidents of violence. In the towns of Adra and Daspur, CPM and Trinamool workers clashed, in one case about forcing a state bank to stay open. A Star Ananda reporter Partha Pratim Ghosh was beaten up on camera by alleged Trinamool sympathizers while the police watched passively. Mamata dismissed it off-hand as a staged incident to increase TRP ratings. The estimates are the day’s general strike costs West Bengal about Rs 88 crores . “Bandhs are not Bengal’s future,” the CM said. She said while a bandh in response to some major event was understandable the bandh culture had to end. She vociferously condemned political parties who think that bringing the state to a grinding halt is the way to prove that they matter politically. I strike. Therefore I am. That is commendable.  “After today let no one dare to just call a bandh because they can,” the CM said grandly. But in the end what did this show of strength, where both sides will inevitably claim victory, prove? It proved that the government could keep buses on the street just to prove a point even if there were no passengers. It proved that what matters is to sign the attendance register so that the CM can boast 98-100 percent attendance. It proved that West Bengal, at least its government, had to show up for work.  But was West Bengal actually working? There is a difference.