Mamata govt making efforts to mend fences with Modi regime

Mohua Chatterjee,TNN | Jun 2, 2014, NEW DELHI: The BJP versus Trinamool Congress political battle may have intensified in West Bengal with BJP trying to fill the space for a political alternative in the state after its vote share went up in the Lok Sabha polls from 6% to 17%, but the Mamata Banerjee government in Kolkata is making efforts to mend its fences with the Narendra Modi regime at the Centre.

West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra called up Union finance minister Arun Jaitley recently and the two, who have known each other from Mitra's days in Delhi, are learnt to have had a cordial conversation. This comes soon after Mamata deputed Mitra and Trinamool general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Mukul Roy to attend Modi's swearing-in, even though she kept away amid talk that she would ask her MPs to boycott the function.

Considering Mamata and Modi fought it out bitterly during the election campaign, the Bengal CM seems to have dropped her opposition to the Modi government and Mitra's call to Jaitley is being seen as the first major indication of the thaw. The chat will be followed up by a meeting between the two finance ministers after the short Parliament session gets over on June 11. It is expected that there will be greater interaction between central and state bureaucrats, even as Mamata may not immediately communicate with Modi, in the manner that Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalitha and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik have done.

While BJP is only getting more aggressive in Bengal and will continue to do so, with the hope that it can build upon its gains in the upcoming municipal elections and the assembly elections slated in 2016, Modi has been talking about developing states in the interest of nation building. So, just as he would like to have the Mamata government on board on various issues, even the CM will need the Centre to deliver on the ground before she faces the next assembly polls.

The fact that BJP needs numbers in Rajya Sabha is also seen as a reason for the Modi government to be dealing in a fair manner with most states, ruled by parties other than Congress or BJP. Hence, tactically it suits both Mamata as well as Modi to keep the constitutional relationship between the Centre and the state going, especially with Modi talking about correcting the federal system of governance in the country.