Today, the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee who usually does not remain non-committal on important issues is gradually becoming hardened on the Presidential election even at the cost of coalition ethics. On the day of nomination only Trinamool was absent from either side. But this absence does not make Trinamool more conspicuous but more redundant in national politics. But she keeps a strange silence on her support to the Presidential candidate. The UPA presidential candidate is not very much unfamiliar to her. During her tenure as Railway minister, Mamata Banerjee used to consult Pranabda on many issues. But that Pranabda who repeatedly said that Mamata is like her younger sister, (although his own son called her Mamatadi), has not yet gathered courage to call the Trinamool Supremo over phone. Such a phone call has come to Buddhadeb and Biman Bose but not to Mamata.

This is not a fair deal any way. But it is nearly certain that Pranab will win as a Presidential candidate. Mamata Banerjee will never bend than break. She once did not break even when Atal Behari Vajpayee came to Kalighat house and touched the feet of her mother. Mamata did not respond to Vajpayee’s request. It is only media gossip wondering whether Mamata will support Pranab after CPI(M) rushed to support Pranab. Fools rush in when angels fear to tread. The hurried and very pragmatic support of CPI(M) supremo to Pranab only to flatter the Bengal counterparts who constitute the largest base of the party (Mr. Karat like his party realizes the situation rather belatedly) only makes the situation more complicated for Mamata especially when Karat says that he supported only to widen the fissure between Congress and Trinamool.

The justification of Prakash Karat is marked by a sense of repentance for the two historical blunders that the party did in the past, one regarding Jyoti Basu’s Prime Ministership and the other the withdrawing of support from UPA I. Already, there is the  incurable Carbuncle called Rejjak Mollah who is tormenting the kingpins of his own party. He emerges victorious in the CPI(M) party ticket in the election Tsunami which has drowned stalwarts such as Buddhadev, and Mohammad Selim and the party face Gautam Dev.

At this moment, Pranab Mukherjee has started calling the dissident Trinamool candidate Kobir Suman - by-passing the party supremo. This also justifiably made Mamata more furious as Pranab is trying to split the party. Even then her ego should not override her political decisions. There is not brother and sister in politics. There is only expediency in the political arena. Mamata is probably taking a very wrong decision by alienating herself from the mainstream of politics. With GNLF ‘s temporary support, she cannot do much for the state. Only the next day, she will require the President’s nod for giving some validity to the invalid Singur Act. How can she go for fighting with crocodiles when she will have to live in water? By shifting to NDA, Mamata will lose the minority support. She is not expected to side with people like Narendra Modi.

Mamata’s forehead is having wider wrinkles because she may be forced to part her way with Congress as her anti–Pranab stance is against coalition ethics. Pranab Mukherjee is an acceptable candidate even to the opposition simply because he unlike Abu Barkat Gani Khan Chowdhury or Mamata herself refused to be partial in approach to West Bengal. All had been equal and some cannot be more equal. But rumours are heard that before the Presidential election, the SP will have a good bargain with Congress for extending support.  

Today, in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav looms larger in Congress mind, and his claim for 90000 crore of rupees for the development of Uttar Pradesh before any concrete commitment is an open secret. The Mulayam Singh group and his former assistant Amar Singh came out as a saviour when the Left unitedly withdrew the support from UPA I on the nuclear issue. The Mulayam Singh Yadav made Congress return to pavilion in empty hands in UP. In the next Lok Sabha elections, even Sonia Gandhi feels scared to lose her seat and the compromise in this regard with Mulayam is imminent.

This is a political compulsion for Sonia to remain with Mulayam and to dole out in a special way the openly claimed amount of Rs.90000 crores - neither as a special package nor as a financial assistance as other states may want it also for the development purpose. If Mamata comes out of UPAII, it will be a boomerang for Trinamool in the Lok Sabha Election 2014 as it had been for CPI(M) in the earlier election. It is not easy for Mamata to join NDA right now.

Moreover, Mamata knows it very well, that the President’s nod is now necessary for her to give validity to the better version of the Singur Act. People voted in favour of Mamata and Trinamool on the Singur and Nandigram issue where CPI(M) according to Mamata’s Trinamool and the pro-Mamata intellectuals has crushed all human values for snatching fertile lands from the poor farmers and to favour the Tatas (Mamata ironically says Tatababus). Suddenly, Mamata cannot do what CPI(M) has done. This is also instigated by Prakash Karat who feels that Mamata will not do what CPI(M) has done. Their support to Mamata will keep Mamata away from Pranab and the UPA. This tactic may yield dividend if Mamata personalizes her anger and grievance egotistically overriding political acumen. There is a Bengali sentiment about making Pranab the first Bengali President or the President from the Eastern region. Mamata may take the risk of ignoring everything at her own party’s cost. Anger should not turn vengeance.