The literary marvel and illustrated heritage of Bengalis for which they are globally famed has somehow gone missing since the last few decades in the political turmoil in West Bengal. People of West Bengal have witnessed the downfall of the state in terms of lost job opportunities, a dearth of industrialization, the collapse of the education framework, and the reported involvement of the ruling governments in a broad line of scams and controversies throughout the last few decades. The ruination of the state’s rich socio-cultural-literary legacy will continue haunting Bengalis every moment for ages.

 

 

According to veterans who have studied the state’s socio-political of yore, after the demise of then-CM Bidhan Chandra Roy in the year of 1963, the state from which Bangaliana originated and spread across the world had been on a steep decline in terms of many aspects. Mr. Roy is known for introducing several revolutionary socio-cultural-political measures and reforms to lift the state’s socio-cultural-political-academic-economic conditions after the Britishers left India, declaring India’s independence.

CM Bidhan Chandra Roy revolutionised Bengal’s industrial scene by pioneering, establishing, and erecting an innumerable number of industries and other institutions. It was during the golden days of West Bengal history that the state witnessed the foundation of a few of the prestigious universities in the state that raised the bar of quality education across West Bengal, as well as uplifted the name of Bengalis all over India.

 

Under Reign Of The Baamfront Sorkar: Filled With Horrors

 

Under the reign of the Left Front government (commonly called the Baamfront Sorkar in Bangla), Bengal went through a dark socio-political phase that shattered Poshchim Bongo into pieces several times and ruined the image of Bengalis across the nation. The Communist ruling government got into power in the year 1977 and continued ruling West Bengal till the year of 2011. The Communist government had earned an image for themselves that was inspired by the popular Bengali proverb Jor Jaar Muluk Taar. Their ruling can easily be identified with people losing their lives in acts of violence, strikes interrupting the regular lives of Bengalis, and more. The Communist rule is surrounded by several controversies and is also known to tarnish Bengal’s work culture and compel the closing down of several factories across the state of West Bengal in the name of Trade Union revolutionary actions. By the concluding phase of Left Front government rule, Bengalis had become familiar with the workings of the Baamfront Sorkar and were ready to bid adieu to their reign.

 

Trinamool Congress’ Highly Controversial Political Reign

 

The jonota of Poshchim Bongo had a lot of expectations from Mamata Banerjee when she came to the forefront of Bengal’s political scene. During her election rally, she promised a positive poriborton for the people of West Bengal by ending the long and extended 34 years of Left rule. Since she became the Chief Minister of West Bengal in 2011, there has been no end to the constant political turbulence in the state. When it was anticipated that Mamata Banerjee would strongly take control over the politics of West Bengal and march Bengal towards a glorious future, she was no more than what she had always been: a stormy streetfighter. The TMC is perhaps the only political party in India that initiated a protest rally against its own government’s Election Commission at some point during its tenure.

 

 

According to the state’s crime record bureau, West Bengal goes through 50+ violent clashes of various magnitudes in the name of politics every month under the TMC rule. Political parties in West Bengal have always believed that they can reap all the political benefits by employing political violence as their main weapon; it seems like Mamata Banerjee closely follows this tactic. Complaints of threats, vandalism, as well as extortion are very common at TMC. According to many, the Trinamool Congress is in fact a money-making Indian political party and makes all efforts to extract money from every possible corner. Unlike the CPI(M) or BJP, which are cadre-based political parties, the Mamata-led TMC party is a mass-based political party that is headed over by Mamata herself. There is no one to control the grassroots level of the party; hence, chaos is bound to disrupt the peace of the entire state frequently.

One of Mamata’s ministers, Jyotipriyo Mallick, once called out CPI(M) cadres as “snakes”. Another senior leader had warned that whoever speaks against “Didi,” and whoever does, will have their hands chopped off by TMC. According to a few political analysts, whenever an unfortunate incident occurs in the state, Mamata’s self-defence mode gets active, teamed up with a violent political past, and she switches on her denial mode. According to media reports these days, TMC is being called the Bhasmasur, and internal unrest within the political party is resulting in several party leaders and workers killing each other to prove their superiority. CM Mamata Banerjee is certainly aware of the current and constant eruption of violence and evil-doing across Poshchim Bongo, but prefers to stay mute. Nowadays, the state of West Bengal has become synonymous with daily conflicts and attempts at brutality against people.

 

Controversies & Scams Surrounding Trinamool Congress

 

Trinamool Congress, or TMC, is accused of scams valued at around INR 23,000 crore, including the infamous Rose Valley Scam that shook the entire nation and dramatically highlighted the political party’s involvement in some iniquitous and sinful activities. Apart from the highly talked-about Rose Valley Scam, Mamata Banerjee’s political party is also charged with several other scams, such as the Saradha Scam, the Cattles-Smuggling Scam, the Education Scam, the Teachers’ Recruitment Scam, and the Coal Scam, among many others. Scams, arrests, protests, as well as political dramas have always been part and parcel of the Trinamool Congress. Several members of the TMC squad were recorded accepting bribes during the Narada News sting operation.

 

 

In spite of getting involved in the notorious Saradha Scam, TMC easily won the 2016 assembly elections, triumphing over 211-constituencies. According to political analysts in West Bengal, instances of corruption and political misconduct are very common in Bengal’s politics. In the Saradha Group Scam as well as the Rose Valley Group Ponzi Scheme, around INR 20,000 crore has been deceived from investors. Furthermore, there have been allegations against Mamata Banerjee’s government for being inactive in probing these cases because the directors of both Saradha Group and Rose Valley Group are known for their alleged associations with the Trinamool Congress.

 

2022–23: A Period That Brought TMC Scams To The Daylight

In the year 2022, the death of a student leader in mysterious circumstances as well as the Bogtui massacre in Birbhum highlighted the poor state of law and order across the state. In the village of Bogtui, 10-people were set ablaze, which resulted from a feud that took place among some TMC leaders. This incident came as a major shock for TMC and subsequently embarrassed “Didi”. The “Recruitment Scam” revealed several layers of corruption within the political party, and the arrest of the erstwhile Education Minister of the TMC, Partha Chatterjee, highlighted the extent of corruption within the party. The Enforcement Directorate arrested the former Education Minister, Partha Chatterjee, after raiding his home and recovering crores of cash during the raid.

 

 

The Recruitment Scam continued to make headlines as several other ministers from TMC’s Education Ministry were arrested either by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Massive protests started erupting post these arrests, as thousands of deserving job aspirants who were deprived of employment opportunities started protesting and demanding that they be given their appointment letters and job postings as soon as possible. The job aspirants, in massive numbers, started to gather at various locations, clash with the police, and hold demonstrations and rallies. As the Supreme Court of India had ordered the government to make public the names of those who got jobs by unfair means, the overall situation started deteriorating with the rising aggression of the protestors (job aspirants). Soon after, another big name from the TMC camp, Anubrata Mondal, got arrested after being accused in the cross-border cattle smuggling case and sentenced to jail. The period between 2022–23 also witnessed a tiff between the centre and the state government over allocations of funds.

 

TMC’s Ongoing Reign In Bengal: Filled With Controversies & Much More

 

The people of West Bengal elected CM Mamata Banerjee with a lot of expectations. The jonosadharon of Poshchim Bongo elected Mamata Banerjee as the Chief Minister in the hope that she will march the state towards a brighter future and make Bengalis happy. Instead, over the last 10-years, her governance has become synonymous with corruption, political vendetta, scams, unfair extortions of money from the public, and crimes against women and children, among others. Owing to TMC’s associations with scams, corruption, and political misconduct, the aam jonota of West Bengal” have awakened to the real face of Trinamool Congress and “Didi”. Slowly but surely, TMC’s wrongdoings are surfacing in front of the general public. TMC is surely losing its magic as more and more people become familiar with the real face of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.