"It is a coterie that is ruling the Prime Minister’s Office"

Just when the Prime Minister's men thought they had trapped Mamata Banerjee in their ministerial cage, the Bengal tigress scowled, roared...

Just when the Prime Minister’s men thought they had trapped Mamata Banerjee in their ministerial cage, the Bengal tigress scowled, roared yet again and set herself free. Anger is the very essence of her anti-CPI(M) politics but now she is angrier than ever. The difference this time is that her fire and brimstone is now directed more at people in the government her Trinamool Congress is supporting than at Jyoti Basu. In an interview with ASHIS CHAKRABARTI at her south Calcutta home, Mamata lists the wrongs and insults, real or imagined, the Vajpayee government heaped on her and Bengal. Excerpts:

After all these months, you agreed that your party will join the ministry but made the Railways the sole bargaining point. Didn’t you know it would create more problems than it would solve?

We never wanted to join the ministry. The Prime Minister repeatedly requested us to join (it). This time we responded to his latest request. Nor did we bargain for the Railways. We only gave our preference forit.

But soon after meeting the Prime Minister in New Delhi, your colleague Ajit Panja announced to the Press that you’d asked for the Railways. And two days later you too announced in Calcutta after the working committee meeting of your party that it’d join the ministry only if it’s given the Railways.

I admit there was some confusion over Ajitda’s remarks. But I’d again say we only gave our preference for the Railways because this portfolio would have given us much scope for implementation of our Bengal Package.

But the Railways is with another ally of the BJP — the Samata Party. Didn’t you think Samata wouldn’t take kindly to it?

It was to be not only an expansion but also a reshuffle of the Cabinet. It’s the PM’s privilege to allot portfolios afresh in a Cabinet reshuffle. What has Samata got to do with it? After all these months, we could not have joined the Ministry just for being part of the government. I care nothing for it if joining the ministry doesn’t enable us towork for Bengal, particularly for the implementation of the Bengal Package. But after what happened with our demand for the Railways, — the way Kushabhau Thakre and Nitish Kumar reacted — I’m not thinking of joining the government any more now.

Hasn’t this government done anything so far for your Bengal Package?

Nothing, except granting the A-1 status to Calcutta and international status to Calcutta airport. But the Bengal Package has 20 points for all-round development of the State — these are railway projects, revival of closed and sick units, monitoring of Centrally-sponsored schemes, etc.. But nobody in this government cares for Bengal. Even without joining the government, I tried to get the package implemented. I requested the PM that one officer be deputed in the PMO to oversee the implementation of the package. I didn’t succeed while another ally managed to have one such officer in the PMO to monitor and help implement projects for his State. For the Balurghat-Eklakhi railwayproject, I had a written assurance from the PM that it would be implemented fast. But even the PM’s promise wasn’t honoured by the Railways. For the last four months, I haven’t written to Nitish Kumar. Now I communicate only with Ram Nayak (Minister of State for Railways).

Any other specific case when your request was turned down?

There are many. I urged the PM to make Ananda Mohan Biswas the vice-chairman of the new SC/SCT Commission. He was a member of the previous commission. But not only was he not made vice-chairman, Vajpayeeji told me no one informed him that Biswas was a member of the earlier committee. What does this mean? Like I’ve seen before it’s a coterie that is ruling the PMO.

Who was the “eminent Bengali” you said you’d recommended for a governor’s post and was turned down?

There are several. I don’t want to take names. (On another occasion, she publicly mentioned former Army hief Shankar RoyChoudhury). Then the PM sometimes complained the bureaucracy wasn’talways cooperating. I suggested names of officers who could be promoted or transferred to help the government but not one case was considered.

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Who were these officers?

Again, I can’t give away the names.

So if this government has been so unsympathetic, why are you continuing to support it?

Because I don’t want another spell of political uncertainty at the Centre. The people have seen how the Deve Gowda Government and the Gujral Government came and went. They don’t want another election now. Besides, remember we were the first of the allies to have given unconditional support to this government. We were not obliged to do so, as we were not pre-poll allies. We didn’t ask for anything in return.

But the Congress says it’s ready to form another government if this one falls.

How can it do so with just 143 members? Even with the support of other non-BJP groups the Congress can’t form the government.

So you’re really supporting this government because you’veno other choice? Yes, what’s the other choice?

If you break the alliance with the BJP in Bengal, you’ll further split anti-Left votes. Is that so?

We are self-sufficient in Bengal. The Congress in Bengal exists only in name. The BJP too is nothing here without our alliance. It’s not me but the BJP that has benefited from the alliance.

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What if the Congress seeks your support or, as reports suggest, wants you to return to the party?

We’re a small, regional party. But we’ve our self-respect. Going back to the Congress is out of the question. I built the party in such a short time against all kinds of odds. I don’t give up so easily.

So what are you going to do next – about this government?

We’ll wait till the Budget and see what it does to our Bengal Package. Then we’ll strike.