Mamata’s attack on AIMIM a political balancing act?

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent remark cautioning people not to listen to “extremist elements” among minorities signals the beginning of a significant change in her politics.

Even after the Lok Sabha election results were declared, the TMC supremo had indicated that the Muslim community in Bengal had voted for her.

But now, she seems to be playing a balancing act by her veiled attack on the AIMIM fearing a consolidation of Hindu votes in favour of the BJP.

Mamata’s dig at the AIMIM indicates that she is no longer sure that the Muslim community of Bengal, which forms 28% of the population of the state, will vote for her en masse.

The TMC supremo stormed to power in West Bengal on her anti-Left and pro-minority poll planks. But now, with the decline of the Left and a resurgent BJP, she can no longer afford to ignore the need to prevent the majority community from leaning towards the BJP.

The chief minister’s strategy of consolidating her minority vote base by labeling the NRC in Assam as an anti-minority step seems to have lost momentum with more than 10 lakh Hindus being left out of the final NRC list.

She has no option but to woo the majority community with populist moves including donating funds to Duga Puja committees.

The TMC has also started organising Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti to counter the BJP’s aggressive Hindutva agenda.

Mamata's silence over the Ayodhya verdict also indicates that she is not sure how the minority community in Bengal will react to it.

Her tall claims about minority development have come under the scanner due to reports such as the one released by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen Pratichi Trust in 2016 titled Living Reality of Muslims in West Bengal, which showed that the social and economic status of Muslims in the state has not improved much since Sachar Committee Report on condition of minorities was published in 2006.

These factors have seemingly made Mamata insecure about her minority support base and hence any organisation such as the AIMIM, claiming to be working for minority rights, has become a threat to her.

Despite the fact that the AIMIM has an insignificant presence in Bengal, Mamata has started dubbing it as the “BJP’s ally” to ensure that Muslims in Bengal do not get drawn to it.