Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has recently ordered a few probes and audits into allegations of corruption or that may lead to it and has asked top bureaucrats to address all grievances that have reached her office immediately.
While she has already ordered a probe into the allegations of corruption in purchasing medical equipment to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the state, she is also displeased to see embankments collapse within three months of repair and has asked senior officials to look into it.
In an administrative meeting, held earlier this week, Banerjee told the chief secretary to address all grievances that have come to the CMO immediately. Officials said that allegations of corruption, like the one related to purchasing of medical equipment, often reach the CMO. A senior official said that the government is considering a third-party audit after allegations of corruption surfaced in the state panchayat department.
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“The party has already faced several allegations of corruption and these are taking a heavy toll on its image. Elections are coming. The party won’t be able to take any more allegations at this stage particularly when the BJP is looking for an opportunity,” said a senior TMC leader.
With Bengal heading for crucial assembly polls, expected to be a highly polarised political battle between the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, political analysts say the TMC supremo is aiming to nip corruption-related controversies in the bud before the opposition uses it as a tool against the ruling party.
“This seems to be a course correction drive of the ruling party in which it has taken up an ‘I flagged it first’ approach so as not to leave the opposition with an opportunity to raise allegations of corruption. If the opposition finally raises it, the ruling party would say that we have already ordered a probe. This would help it to remain on the front foot,” said Udayan Bandyopadhyay, a political analyst, and professor of political science at Bangabasi College in Kolkata.
The TMC had received a jolt in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when its tally came down from 34 seats to 22 while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s tally rose from two to 18 and senior leaders said that the TMC wants to recover from the losses.
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While Mamata Banerjee’s nine-year rule has been riddled with some major scams such as the Saradha, Narada, and Rose Valley, central probe agencies investigating these scams have already heightened their activities. The Enforcement Directorate has sent notices to five TMC leaders and summoned a suspended Indian Police Service officer in connection with the 2016 Narada sting operation case.
Since May this year, the TMC has already been on the back foot at least twice. Some party leaders had to be expelled and others were slapped with show-cause notices after they were found to be involved in corruption in the distribution of relief materials in the aftermath of cyclone Aman.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had also leveled charges of corruption in the public distribution system and had raised demands of a CBI probe.
“It is not because of the elections. The party doesn’t tolerate any corruption. Actions have been taken against corrupt leaders in the past too. It is our duty and also ethical to look into any allegations which reach us – be it against officers or party leaders. Mamata Banerjee has made it amply clear that she won’t allow any corrupt leader in the party and no one is indispensable,” said Tapas Roy, a minister, and a TMC spokesperson.
The BJP has also lashed out at the TMC saying the ruling party won’t be able to hide behind such probes and a change in 2021 is inevitable. They call these probes are just an eyewash so that the opposition’s charges could be mellowed down.
“TMC is synonymous with corruption and people have come to know this. They are afraid and hence are coming up with new drama every day. But they won’t be able to hide behind such probes and audits. They have been unmasked and a change is inevitable,” said Sayantan Basu, the BJP’s state general secretary.
