'Mamata Was Being Misled By The Bureaucracy'

'My primary point was where is the Mamata Banerjee who jumps and reaches out, starts talking directly and starts solving over the heads of the bureaucracy.'

IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses the media after the meeting with the junior doctors protesting over the R G Kar Hospital rape-murder case, in Kolkata, September 17, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

After a distinguished career as a bureaucrat, three years ago Jawhar Sircar stepped into the world of politics.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appointed him her party, the Trinamool Congress' member of the Rajya Sabha.

Disenchanted with the murky world of politics, 72-year-old Sircar issued his resignation two years before his term ends.

Jawahar Sircar speaks to Rediff.com Senior Contributor Payal Singh Mohanka about his disillusionment, the abysmal handing of the gruesome rape and murder case at Kolkata's R G Kar Medical College, the arrogance of leaders, a bureaucracy comprising yes men and the challenges facing Bengal.

The first of an Exclusive multi-part interview:

Would you agree that this is Mamata Banerjee's darkest hour?

This is most unusual of her to not respond in time. She is known to be jumping into situations. That is her brand equity.

It doesn't matter what the situation is and whether she gets beaten up. This has happened at times.

Do you think she will come out of this unscathed?

Not fully unscathed. You see there is a peculiarity in the politics of Bengal that people don't notice.

The educated middle class, a large section of which is known as civil society, has always been opposed to the Left and also opposed to Mamata Banerjee as well.

The bhadralok class of Bengal at least, they are mainly in the Kolkata metropolitan area.

They have been uncomfortable with the Left also, but over the years they have made friends with the Left.

Incidentally, much of civil society today has been influenced by Left liberal ideas.

This class has never been comfortable with Mamata Benerjee, they viewed her as a subaltern leader, rabble rouser.

They look upon the politics of the TMC in a very negative light, they don't like the street strongmen handling it.

This educated middle class has been severely jolted. They have moved away from her, they are now a very confused group. They are na ghar ka na ghat ka.

IMAGE: Former Bharatiya Janata Party MP Locket Chatterjee, second from left, along with party Mahila Morcha leaders organise a 'police station purification drive' to protest against the R G Kar incident in Kolkata, September 23, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Bengal's biggest tragedy is that it doesn't have any alternative.

Yes, it doesn't have any alternative. A large section of Bengal would be quite comfortable with the right party provided it is educated and it is not communal.

You know something like Atal Bihari Vajpayee's, they would not mind, that is my gut feeling, but not Modi's.

The Left and the Congress are just not making the cut. The BJP is stuck in the throat.

Even if it gets 40% of the popular vote it still can't make it under the present first past the post system.

IMAGE: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, third from left, along with party leaders protest demanding justice in the RG Kar rape-murder case, in Kolkata, September 25, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

What do you think has changed within the TMC from when you joined in 2021 to now? Or do you feel you were mistaken in your original assessment itself?

I can't deny that I joined with my eyes open. Of course, I had no choice. She gave me an offer and in five minutes it was on TV.

So either I would come out and say no and create a hungama one day before the end of the nominations or accept it.

On the balance I accepted it because in the preceding 5 years I was writing a lot, articulating a lot on societal matters and political matters.

And my stand is very clear that I am anti Hindu right. What I am pro I am finding it difficult to explain.

I know what I am anti. And that's why I was picked up to voice the sentiments of Bengal, the angst of Bengal in Parliament.

To that extent I have no qualms about it, but you must remember something. The year 2021 was the height of Mamata's popularity.

This huge chunk of civil society went and voted for her. They eliminated the Marxists to zero as never before.

Such a dramatic shift had never taken place which means that this urban middle class had voted solidly with her.

She was their choice, This was in spite of the fact that Modi and Amit Shah had spent some 40 days of campaigning and any amount of money and she emerged a national hero.

Much of it got frittered away in trying to expand to Goa, Meghalaya and other issues instead of focusing on Bengal.

In the absence of any worthwhile Opposition leaders, the TMC local leaders started behaving arrogantly and making money openly.

There was open flaunting of wealth. A chap who was a tea vendor till yesterday, a chap who was a ration shop dealer till day before yesterday started flaunting huge chunks of gold chains and moving around in big cars.

It doesn't go down well. This transformation happened in two sharp years.

IMAGE: A torch rally from Hiland Park to Shyambazar in Kolkata, September 20, 2024 expressing solidarity with the junior doctors. Photograph: ANI Photo

Is that when your disenchantment set in?

Yes I was disenchanted in the second year itself when Partha Chatterjee (former state education minister) was caught with piles of cash.

I was very angry.

I was told 'Please you are moving away from your primary purpose. There is a law-enforcing agency. Your primary task is to take on Modi. You are not supposed to get involved in domestic politics.'

Wouldn't that be a challenge for you?

I know it's a challenge. I was never a member of the party. That is one thing people don't know. Nobody ever asked me to be a member of the TMC.

They knew I am not a party man. They didn't bother. They asked me to join the Rajya Sabha. They said as long as he is with us, it's okay.

IMAGE: BJP Mahila Morcha leaders during a protest against the R G Kar Hospital incident. Photograph: ANI Photo

Take us through your three years as TMC's Rajya Sabha MP. Has your political journey been one of disillusionment?

No. It has been one of learning; The exit part was with a lot of disillusionment. But it has been complete learning because the nuances of politics is like the underwater world.

You can see it from a glass-bottomed boat like journalists, others see it from wooden boats, steel boats and ships.

Analysts see it from glass-bottomed boats or maximum can take a few scuba dives.

They get a feel of what is going on. But if you live under water for three years, you see all the currents, the caves, the caverns.

You know what are the compulsions in a political party, what are the commonalities in political parties, what are their rules of the game.

This is not for outsiders. For this you have to be an insider like the Freemasons. You have to take an oath. That was a great learning experience.

I now know what and why things happen. The exit part was one of disillusionment because I was trying desperately to get across my message, but the channels of communication were not working.

IMAGE: Jawhar Sircar. Photograph: Payal Singh Mohanka for Rediff.com

Do you think your resignation came as a surprise to Didi?

Must have been a bit of a surprise though she knows I am prone to these emotional decisions. Friends would say principled decisions.

But the actual letter did surprise her because for the preceding 10 to 15 days I had been sending notes to her without a single response.

Number two, I would think the letter impacted because within three days of submitting my resignation letter, she started talking to the doctors.

My primary point was where is the Mamata Banerjee who jumps and reaches out, starts talking directly and starts solving over the heads of the bureaucracy.

She was being misled by the bureaucracy in Bengal. The bureaucracy was telling her what she wanted to hear.

Her political guides too were doing exactly the same thing and she didn't know the ground reality.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com