Parties, rivals work towards amicability in West Bengal in festive spirit

A truce seemed to be in the works as Banerjee is likely to visit Chennai on November 2 to participate in a family programme organised by Manipur guv Ganesan

In a marked change from what was the relations between the Raj Bhavan and the Chief Minister’s Office a few months ago, Mamata Banerjee and Manipur Governor La Ganesan—who also took the additional charge of Governor of West Bengal—seem to be on cordial terms.

A truce seemed to be in the works as Banerjee is likely to visit Chennai on November 2 to participate in a family programme organised by Ganesan.

Trinamool-owned ‘Jago Bangla’ newspaper, on Wednesday, mentioned Banerjee’s upcoming Chennai tour, in the same vein as Ganesan’s visit to Banerjee’s residence on Kali Puja, last Monday. Earlier in October, Banerjee had visited the governor to enquire about his health.

In the recent past, during Jagdeep Dhankar’s tenure as the governor, the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata and the state government had been on the outs on several issues.

But that is not the only relationship mending. Recently, Bharatiya Janata Party Lok Sabha MP from Darjeeling Raju Bista, along with party’s regional MLA and representatives, called on veteran CPI(M) Ashok Bhattacharya on Monday to exchange Diwali greetings. Bhattarcharya was a former minister in the Left Front-led state government.

Although, if seen through political ideology, a right-wing politician calling on a Left leader appears odds, but in West Bengal the two have a common rival in Trinamool.

Bista, in a recent Facebook post, took a dig at Trinamool for a different interpretation, adding that “respecting our elders, and seeking their blessings during festivals is embedded in the very fabric of our society and culture”.

Similarly. CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim, on Wednesday, went to meet the school job-seekers, who have been on an agitation in Kolkata’s Esplanade area demanding recruitment. Salim was seen observing Bhai Phonta at the venue—something certainly different, considering Left’s style of politics.

Political analyst Udayan Bandyopadhyay explained this: “The Chief Minister’s Chennai visit to attend the function bolsters our federal structure. Ashok Bhattacharya is a prominent face in north Bengal and is important when it comes to mobilisation of votes in the region, so leaders could visit him. The Left is attempting to enlarge its presence in the mainstream, and being a part of popular practices is absolutely fine.”