Mamata criticised the BSF, ministers, and officials, demanding stricter vigilance and efficiency.
KOLKATA: With the dawn of the New Year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appears to be strategically distancing herself from controversies and administrative shortcomings associated with her own Government as the state approaches its next Assembly elections in 2026.
This approach is aimed at preserving her personal political capital and thereby enhancing her party’s prospects in the forthcoming elections, say observers and even her own old-time associates.
On Thursday, she chaired an administrative meeting at Nabanna, the State secretariat, where she lambasted everyone from the Border Security Force (BSF) – whom she accused of allowing infiltrators from Bangladesh – to her own Ministers and officials at a televised administrative meeting on Thursday. Mamata berated the officials in the districts and in the State capital for not keeping watch on what is happening in their areas.
She spelt out the ABCs of what an efficient administration should do.
“A to avoid, B for block, C for, what should I say, create confusion, D for destruction. That is what a section of the officers are doing,” Mamata said during the meeting at the State secretariat. “Instead be active, be bold, be creative, work for development, be energetic, keep the fnances in mind.”
She asked when was the last time the government officials had carried out field inspections on mid-day meals and other state government schemes.
“The block officials were instructed on carrying out voter list revision. Have they done anything? They don’t work and we and the people have to face problems,” Mamata said.
The Chief Minister, who did most of the talking during the meeting that went on for over an hour, pulled up most of the department officials, often singling out officers including the Director General of Police, (DGP) Rajeev Kumar.
“Rajeev, you have to take strong action against the DIB (District Intelligence Branch). They do nothing. They keep no information, they provide no information,” she said.
“There is a lot of favouritism in the police department. Lobbies work. The superintendents of police make their own cliques. They want those close to them to get promotions. This cannot go on.”
When the North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha complained that teams from Delhi Police had come to Cooch Behar’s Dinhata asking about migrant workers, Mamata said: “How were they allowed? Rajeev, were you aware of this? The SP does not know anything. An SP cannot function like this. No other agency can carry out verifications like this. If this is repeated, inform me.”
She said: “Prabhat Mishra (the State Finance Secretary) is a gentleman but you have to be efficient. Except for one or two officers, the rest in the Finance department discuss Left politics. They have turned the department into Alimuddin Street (where the state CPM headquarters are in Kolkata). This is not the place to discuss meetings and rallies.”
The Ministers and bureaucrats nodded their heads like obedient students as the chief minister went from one Minister, one officer to the next.
The chief minister also accused a section of the government officials of leaking information to the Opposition parties.
Turning her attention to the State Transport department, Mamata said it had turned into a “silent department”.
“Often, I see people standing on the roads waiting for transport. Has the Minister, Secretary ever visited these places?” Mamata asked.
When Minister Snehasis Chakraborty attempted to answer that “kichhu” (some) route frequency has been increased, Mamata shut the Minister down.
“What does kichhu mean? Kichhu is meaningless. The Transport department’s job is to ensure that people can reach their offices and home safely and in time. Go around the entire city during working hours, go to the hospitals, see what is happening,” she thundered.
State Education Minister Bratya Basu’s turn was next.
“Bratya, you are the Education Minister. If there is a policy decision, please consult us,” Mamata said, referring to a news report on a decision to introduce a semester system in schools.
“I was not aware. The Chief Secretary was unaware. I came to know from the media,” she said.
Basu said the proposal was lying with the Chief Secretary and would not be implemented without her nod.
“How did it get leaked to the media? This will not happen,” Mamata said.
“Four advisers will take a decision and give the go ahead that is not going to work. I want to reduce the burden of textbooks on the students. Semester system for classes I and II? They cannot even speak properly. What works in colleges does not work in schools,” she blasted ar CS.
“I am in favour of reducing the study load of children. There is too much load already. These children cannot even speak properly. They struggle to rhyme ‘Twinkle, twinkle, little star’. How will they appear in the semester exams? How can those in Class I or II write the semester exams!” the Chief Minister said.
During her meeting, Mamata Banerjee also claimed funds from the sand mafia in Birbhum district were going to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“We are not as happy as we were with Birbhum earlier. Illegal sand mining has gone up and money is going to the BJP,” she said. “We are not doing it. What are the inspectors-in-charge of Dubrajpur, Suri, Mohammadbazar doing? Do they think I do not know anything? From here I keep a tab on everything.”
She said she would not tolerate encroachment on government land and her government would initiate stern measures against all those who help people settle on government land parcels.
“Departments like Forest, Irrigation and Urban Development are here and I would ask all to ensure that fresh encroachment on Government land should be prevented,” said the CM.
“If fresh encroachment on Government land takes place, I will not spare the local IC and SP. The BDOs would not be spared too,” she added.
Mamata Banerjee warned the top brass of the administration, including Ministers and District Magistrates, and representatives of panchayats and civic bodies to stay away from helping people grab Government land.
“In this State, everything has a price. Be it sand, stone, cow smuggling, selling of jobs, MGNREGA, housing grants, illegal constructions – the Trinamool Congress leaders make money from everything. And they pass on a share to Mamata and her nephew. This is all documented and an open secret. Mamata is only doing plain drama at these meetings,” Suvendu Adhikari, former Mamata confidante and the BJP’s leader of the Opposition, told The Sunday Guardian.
“This is vintage Mamata. She has made it a habit to shift blame to anybody and everybody and take credit even for the smallest achievements. Her party leaders and executives know this very well and accept the public humiliation as the price for getting prize postings,” said veteran journalist Suman Chattopadhyay whose career has paralleled Mamata’s political journey.
“She knows that she is her party’s sole winning card. So, she has tried to insulate herself from all the misgovernance and corruption that has characterised her rule since 2011. Come 2026, she might well succeed since the BJP is in disarray,” he adds.
A senior Trinamool Congress, who has been a close associate of Mamata Banerjee since her Youth Congress days, told The Sunday Guardian: “All her old associates know this very well. She will deny any association or even knowledge of wrongdoing, even though nothing in Trinamool moves without her knowledge or approval. This helps when she goes out to seek votes. She can always blame others and profess ignorance. By positioning herself as a leader willing to confront issues within her own ranks, she is aiming to mitigate Opposition criticism and appeal to undecided voters. We accept the public humiliation because all of us seek votes in her name. So, we have to insulate her personal brand from the controversies to preserve voter trust. That is our compulsion.”