By Arun Srivastava
Never before in the political history of India, the institution of President was used in such a blatant manner as was done on Saturday March 7, by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for ensuring the victory of the BJP at the Bengal assembly elections. What has been most shocking is, the President Draupadi Murmu allowing herself to be exploited without realising the impact her action would have on the sovereign character of the country and its body politic.
Her action could be questioned at least on three broader contours; First, Murmu, during her visit to West Bengal expressed concerns regarding the welfare and development of tribal communities in the state and sought to know whether the development benefits meant for tribal communities, specifically the Santhal and Adivasi communities in North Bengal, were effectively reaching them, noting a lack of progress. As the President she could not be faulted for posing this question. But the issue is: why she chose to ventilate her disappointment just ahead of elections? Did she ever put this question to Mamata Banerjee during last four years of stay in power? It was incongruous to listen to her using Modi rhetoric that she was the daughter of Bengal. If at all she was the daughter of Bengal, in all fairness why she did not take up the issue of welfare of tribals with Mamata long back, at least after becoming President.
Secondly, she tried to project the 9th International Santhal Conference, being held in Siliguri on March 7, as government event, which was not the fact. It was organized by the International Santhal Council, a private organization. Under constitutional conventions, the chief minister is not obligated to receive President on private visit. Moreover on that day Mamata was sitting on Dharna and obviously she could not go to Siliguri to receive her. This cannot be taken as showing disrespect to the President, as Modi was trying to make and project before the people.
President also expressed her displeasure at the change of site of the meeting. The venue was changed from Bidhannagar to Gossainpur (near Bagdogra Airport) due to security/administrative reasons cited by the state, causing low turnout. In a surprise move she went to the original place and felt there was no reason to change the site. Speaking on the occasion, she said the earlier site could have easily accommodated a gathering of several lakh people. She added that many members of the Santhal community could not attend the conference as it was held far from their area. Murmu expressed disappointment that no state minister was present to receive her, contrary to normal protocol. However TMC leaders clarified that neither the CM nor her ministers were scheduled to attend, as it was a private event and they were not mandated to attend.
Instead of blowing the issue out of proportion, Murmu, as a normal practice, could have taken the issue at administrative level and sought Mamata’s clarification. No denying, she at that point of time chose to forget that she was President of India and must adhere to the norms and ethics. Modi who had master minded the plot was quick to grab Murmu’s jibes, picked up the issue and used to malign Mamata’s image. PM’s strategy Was to convey the message to the tribal of Bengal that the TMC supremo and the chief minister Mamata Banerjee had insulted the first tribal president who is also a woman.
President Murmu was quite inquisitive about Tribal welfare in Bengal, but she never sought an explanation from Modi and his PMO, about the heinous murder and naked parading of tribal women in Manipur. She even did not pull up Modi for immense rise in atrocities on Tribals in Chhattisgarh, MP and Rajasthan. That way, President’s public criticism of a state government on tribal welfare before a crucial elections, did not speak well of the constitutional propriety of the President.
One thing is absolutely clear that after having exhausting his arsenal in electoral fight against Mamata, Modi as the last resort used Presidential ill-treatment as a psychological missile, to demean her in the eyes of Bengalis and especially tribals of the state. He used the words “shameful and unprecedented” to arouse the tribal passion. It was like devil quoting the scripture. He on number of occasions showed disrespect to her; one such occasion was while President Draupadi Murmu conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, standing, upon BJP leader L.K. Advani at his residence on March 31, 2024, Modi did not show the courtesy to stand. He continued to sit through the ceremony. Obviously how could he blame Mamata of having “crossed all limits” and treating Santhal culture casually. He framed the incident as a grave insult to a tribal woman holding the highest office, stating, “The people of West Bengal will not forgive TMC”.
With BJP consistently losing its base in Bengal including amongst the tribals,, Modi has no other alternate but to arouse the feeling of neglect and exploitation. BJP has not been a favourite of tribals. Though in the wake of Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, the BJP riding on nationalist feeling had won 31 of the 47 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), it lost significantly in 2024, losing all 5 ST-reserved seats in the Lok Sabha elections. Tribals in Bengal have been sceptical of the RSS-BJP’s politics of Hindutva and have expressed concerns over BJP policies, citing risks to their land, cultural identity, and safety. Mamata has a strong following in tribal belt. In the 2016 assembly elections, it had won 27 out of 30 seats in the tribal belt (often referred to as Jangalmahal). In 2021 election TMC had won 10 out of 16 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Modi-Shah combine intends to break the TMC stranglehold and in their pursuit used President Murmu’s remarks’; “I do not think that Santhals and other Adivasis in this area are fully progressing. The benefits of development have not reached you as they should.” But Mamata is not known to allow her opponents undeserved space. She was quick to seek clarification; “Do you (President Murmu) know how many tribals were deleted from the voter list in Bengal? Please find out about that as well and speak up against it. Tribal voters were being singled out during the revision process. I feel ashamed to even say this. We respect the Hon’ble President. But she, too, has been sent to play politics… I am sorry, Madam. I have great regard for you, but you are being guided by the BJP’s policies and instructions”.
Mamata had apprehended some kind of serious attack from the BJP leadership, and was quick to rebut Murmu’s allegation. She outright accused her of acting “at the behest of the BJP” and advising her not to engage in politics ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. Murmu must not had rejoiced this remark from Mamata. But BJP’s political goals compelled her to be a part of the mess.
Mamata accused the BJP of trying to “malign the state” and using the highest office in the country for accomplishing its political agenda. She said she was busy with a protest over voter rights and accused the Election Commission of working under BJP influence. Irrefutably President’s visit has added a new, emotionally charged layer to the ongoing political conflict between Modi and Mamata. Many more such confrontations are expected as the state assembly poll is nearing. (IPA Service)
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