Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday set up a “task force” comprising representatives of all major political parties in Bengal to assist the state government in implementing relief and rehabilitation measures for people affected by Covid-19 and Cyclone Amphan.
The chief minister also said the lockdown in Bengal would be extended till July 31.
A panel of leaders of different political hues was the first-ever initiative by Mamata after the Trinamul Congress had come to power in Bengal in 2011. The task force was announced at an all-party meeting chaired by the chief minister on Wednesday when she faced a barrage of allegations of graft and favouritism from Opposition leaders in the relief and rehabilitation measures.
Mamata had even asked CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra to head the committee, but he declined, saying it should be helmed by somebody in the ruling party. Hence, Trinamul Congress secretary-general Partha Chatterjee was made the chief of the task force.
“All political parties will take a resolution, especially on Amphan-related matters, for which a committee has been formed,” Mamata said, adding that the committee would also include the likes of BJP state chief Dilip Ghosh, Left legislature party leader Sujan Chakraborty and Congress Rajya Sabha member Pradip Bhattacharya.
“This committee will decide on the all-party resolution, they will draft it,” Mamata said after the three-hour meeting at Nabanna.
“Whatever they draw up, we will accept. It will also be sent to the Centre…. The committee will also draft suggestions for helping out migrant workers, unorganised sectors, hawkers, etc., which we will look into,” the chief minister said. “The committee will also talk about more monetary aid (from the Centre) for the Amphan-affected…. In the greater interest of the state, I hope we will all say the same things so that nobody has any problem,” she added.
Although several leaders in the Opposition later dismissed the committee as “eyewash”, some admitted that the gesture was “unprecedented” in the Trinamul regime. Sources in the ruling party attributed Mamata’s accommodative move “partly” to the advice from Trinamul poll consultant Prashant Kishor.
“We will not hesitate in taking stern action against those engaged in malpractice…. This is not the time for politics. Let us all work together to stand by the people,” said Mamata.
The meeting — not televised live — initially saw heated exchanges between the ruling party, represented by ministers Chatterjee, Subrata Mukherjee and state president Subrata Bakshi, and the delegations of the BJP and the Left Front.
“Our leaders, even MPs and MLAs, and our workers are being regularly harassed by police. If we are regularly manhandled by the administration, how can the government expect our cooperation?” asked BJP’s Dilip Ghosh.
He claimed that most political leaders affected by the novel coronavirus were from Trinamul, citing the death of MLA Tamonash Ghosh earlier in the day. Ghosh also questioned the quality of treatment available in Bengal through which, according to him, even VIPs couldn’t be cured.
“Ghosh’s remarks sparked rage as the Trinamul delegation (Chatterjee, Mukherjee and Bakshi) opposed him vehemently and accused him of poor taste,” said a source present at the meeting.
“Although the Left and the Congress, too, were criticising the government, they did not hit below the belt…. She (Mamata) was, however, constantly looking to calm things down and soothe nerves,” the source added.
Mamata, according to a Trinamul insider, mounted a “charm offensive” and worked towards finding a middle ground. Neither the BJP nor the CPM shared her optimism regarding the meeting or the task force.
“The idea of a committee with representatives of all parties, for something like this, is absurd. We will have to wait and see how many meetings the committee holds,” said a leader of an Opposition party.
After the meeting, Mamata also announced the extension of the lockdown in the state — with relaxations wherever possible — till July 31.
“About the lockdown, I discussed with everybody. Not everybody agreed…. This is the government’s decision, but all political parties have been informed. Sought their opinion,” said Mamata.
“Because Covid-19 continues to grow nationally, if we, as a state, can help the nation even a little bit to reduce the extent of the outbreak… for that, let’s try to extend the lockdown a bit more, with relaxations in place,” she added.
Several attendees clarified later that Mamata planned to continue with the lockdown in its current form till July 31 with educational institutions, suburban trains and Metro railway services staying suspended and maximum work from home, wherever possible.
