Despite a string of electoral successes in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress has been haunted by allegations of corruption. From the Saradha chit fund scam, which came to the fore in 2013, to the Narada sting videos in 2016, several party leaders have been arrested by central agencies. Since 2021 alone, when the school recruitment scam became known, four MLAs of the party and several district leaders have been arrested. The party’s response has varied from one case to another.
On July 23, 2022, moments before his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Partha Chatterjee, who was then secretary general of the Trinamool and a cabinet minister in the State government, called Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The call, made at a time when the ED was recovering cash and gold from the premises of Mr. Chatterjee’s associate, went unanswered. Five days after Mr. Chatterjee was arrested in the teacher recruitment scam, the Trinamool stripped him of all posts in the government and the party.
More than a year later, the party leadership is facing a similar situation. The ED had arrested another minister of the State government, Jyotipriya Mallick, in an alleged ration distribution scam. This time, the Trinamool seems confused about whether to defend Mr. Mallick, who is accused of siphoning foodgrains meant for the public distribution system through fake companies and a network of agents, or leave him in the lurch. Mr. Mallick was Minister of Food and Supplies from 2011 to 2021, and was shunted to the Forest Department after the Trinamool came to power in 2021.
Responding to allegations against Mr. Mallick, Ms. Banerjee said that he would “defend himself legally” and blamed the previous Left Front government for “one crore fake ration cards in the State.” Some Trinamool leaders have said that Mr. Mallick should not have got the Chief Minister as well as party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee embroiled in the issue. While being taken for a medical checkup, Mr. Mallick told the media that senior leaders in the Trinamool “know it all”.
Even in the case of party MP Mahua Moitra, who finds herself in an alleged cash-for-query controversy, the Trinamool has remained ambiguous in its response. While Ms. Banerjee and Mr. Banerjee have stayed silent, spokespersons of the party have touched different notes. Some have said that the party has nothing to say on the issue while others have accused members of the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha of behaving like ‘Duryodhan’.
The party has also jumped to the defence of some senior leaders. For instance, years ago, it supported former Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal, who was accused of murder. More recently, it has criticised in one voice central investigation agencies for summoning Mr. Banerjee.
In response to allegations of corruption, the Trinamool leadership has always asked the people to keep faith in the party chairperson, Ms. Banerjee. She has, on more than one occasion, urged the people to forget about candidates fielded in Assembly or Lok Sabha polls and vote for her on all the seats. Indeed, the Trinamool draws its strength from her popularity and charisma. Over the past 12 years, through its welfare schemes, the party has developed a patron-client relationship with the people, and allegations of corruption have had little impact on its electoral prospects.
Much like its stand on scam-tainted leaders, the Trinamool’s ideology has also remained vague. On the one hand, it attempts to present itself as a secular party and on the other, the party mixes religion with politics by giving cash incentives to Durga Pujas as well as honorarium to imams and muezzins. It has fielded actors with little or no political experience and has not shied from giving tickets to leaders from the Left and Congress in the belief that the party symbol and its organisational machinery will ensure electoral success.
However, this may not always work. Regarding corruption, while the party’s usual response of ‘political vendetta’ may have some truth in it, this stand has become a cliché and may not appeal to the electorate ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. When allegations of corruption are made against Cabinet Ministers, the State government, the Chief Minister, and the party leadership cannot present a vague response and absolve themselves of all responsibility.
