POWERPLAY: Mamata Banerjee is not in Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “Not this time, but long-pending matters remain, like Bengal’s financial dues etc….”

Mamata Banerjee is not in Delhi to meet the Congress leadership: “Why do you keep asking about only one party? There is no meeting scheduled that I am skipping.”

Mamata Banerjee is not in Delhi to attend a Niti Aayog meeting: “Yes, I will go, but only to protest on behalf of Bengal and all other deprived states; then I will come out and return to Calcutta.”

Mamata Banerjee is in Delhi to be Mamata Banerjee, ride her own horse. “This Niti Aayog must be stopped, put an end to; it is useless, it has no financial powers, nothing. It has not done a single thing. I want the Planning Commission to be revived; the Planning Commission was among the ideas of Netaji Subhas Bose, it was a good thing, there was department-wise discussion of issues, it should come back. No more this Niti Aayog.”

Mamata Banerjee is, at one point, mildly cross at being asked, in tangential ways, what might be the reason she is here. “Why this question? I have not met you since last December, so I also thought to meet you. Is that a good reason? Enough, no?”

Mamata Banerjee has seated herself, cordless mic in hand, under a marquee of goodly proportion at the Banga Bhavan in upscale Chanakyapuri, and is engaging journalists in classic fashion, benign Didi at one point, offended dada of the show the next — I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee… catch me if you can….

Why did you come for the Niti Aayog meet when the rest of the INDIA governments had decided to boycott? “Why? Why nobody consulted us? We learnt from the newspapers… and there is some form, states have to work with the Centre for development, etc, but I will protest, Niti Aayog is useless, I will tell them,” Mamata said.

But is there an underlying issue with the Congress? “Look, in Bengal our stand is clear, the Congress is allied with the Left and the BJP, they all fight against us. In Delhi, no problem. There is no coordination gap, our MPs are meeting all the time.”

Shrug. Grimace. Mic down in her lap.

So what’s her view of why the Opposition did so well in the Lok Sabha elections, was it the Congress or something else? “I think both Congress and regional parties. And let me tell you straight, if regional parties are strong, the nation is strong. Who fights Covid and floods and law and order issues and all such things? State governments; the Centre issues statements, the work is done by us.

Mamata Banerjee meets journalists in New Delhi on Friday. Picture by Sankarshan Thakur

“The Centre should only take care of external affairs, defence, internal security, probably economics, but economic affairs they have completely destroyed. Look at this politically motivated and biased budget.”

She is nudged again on her programme for Saturday and pop she goes before the question’s even been finished: “I said already. Going back to Calcutta. Our Assembly is on, and this is monsoon season, there are lots of problems to take care of, we are a flood-prone state.”

Besides, she appeared to put her tenure in the capital down this time as more a waste of time than anything else. “The truth is here there is no hope and no scope, hopeless and scopeless, baseless and faceless.”

She meant the Modi government, which has somehow squeezed itself back into power on ally assistance. “They formed the government but they don’t have the people’s mandate, for the first time since 2014, there isn’t a single-party majority government… and they have given a biased, anti-people budget, this is a BJP ka saathi ka vikas ka budget. Tomorrow I will protest, I will protest not only for Bengal but for all of us who have been discriminated against.”

Is the new government not stable, may it disintegrate anytime soon? A blank stare while a riposte whirrs in her mind. “Look, can I say if I will be alive tomorrow? Is it possible? But this is the sunset of the BJP.” Next question.

The demand floated by the Bengal BJP boss that the north of the state be made an administrative part of the Northeast? “I have said, but I say again, we will not let Bengal be divided, no Banga-bhanga. There is a political conspiracy against the state, there is an economic blockade, now this. They are the tukde-tukde, no I won’t use the word ‘gang’, that we should not use, but I will say they are the tukde-tukde platform. We will not let them succeed.”

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) has commented adversely on her remarks over Teesta water-sharing and issues relating to Bangladesh. “Listen, MEA has forgotten about the stakeholder. We were ignored. I know the MEA and I know a few things about the federal structure. I have been MP seven times, and a minister in the government so many times, let them (the MEA) not try to teach me lessons.”

The recent turbulence in Bangladesh she paddled away sans comment, but insisted she had to do what she did. “We have a common border, there were thousands of people on the border, troubled people, students running away, people seeking treatment, what should we do? Should we not help them, facilitate their travel this way or that? It is our job.”

Clap, Clap. Time. “Enough now, please bring us some tea!” There’s fabled loads of it at one end of the canopy, tea and elaborate servings of savouries and sweets that have become the trademark of such trips. That too is what makes a Mamata Banerjee visit a Mamata Banerjee visit.