Video Editor: Mohd Irshad
It has been a hectic week for Kolkata.
The CBI at the police commissioner’s residence, the CBI being arrested by the state police, the chief minister on dharna, court cases, CBI questioning the commissioner, police raiding the CBI...phew! The drama is not ending anytime soon.
But who is Rajeev Kumar, who has put the entire country in turmoil?
Well, fact is, all this drama, wasn’t about him at all. No matter what Mamata Banerjee says.
It was about Mamata hitting the proverbial election ball out of the park before the 2019 election.
What was the point of all this? Well, we are here to tell you just that!
1) In Bengal, Mamata Is The Boss
Before you start trolling us – no we are not saying this.
It is a message that Mamata seems to have put forth quite unequivocally.
In terms of optics, state governments or anti-Modi regional parties across the spectrum have been seen as being victimised or run over by "Modi's instruments" like the ED and CBI. Mamata Banerjee just wanted to portray that unka koi baal bhi banka nahi kar sakta.
Hence, the very meme-worthy act of arresting CBI officials on the pretext of a stay order on coercive action against the police chief.
Now it turns out that there was no such order issued by the Calcutta High Court in the first place.
2) Mamata- The Main Face In The 'Mahagathbandhan'
If there is a Mahagathbandhan that goes to the polls and IF it wins...
I know, I know...lots of IFs...
But IF that happens, then Didi now has a very decisive optical edge over her competitors in the coalition like Mayawati.
Y’know, because Modiji sent his forces after her, and she “fought” back, embarassing him quite a bit in the process.
This was reiterated when leaders like Tejashwi Yadav spoke about how his entire family had been targeted by the Modi government but ‘Jo Mamata Didi ne Kiya, woh koi aur nahi kar paya.’
3) Standing Up For The ‘Forces’
A recurrent theme through out Mamata's dharna was the maan of the forces.
The annual investiture ceremony of the Kolkata Police was held at the dharna and Mamata repeatedly spoke about how cops “have sleepless nights while we enjoy Durga Puja” – basically, saying over and over again that this was Modi government's way of victimising "innocent" police officers.
And of course, Didi can't stand the victimisation of innocent people.
Many are questioning, though, that the same chief minister did not show anything close to the same kind of reaction when her sitting ministers were arrested.
4) Reinforcing Mamata's Image As A Street Fighter
By spending three nights under the open sky, Mamata has reasserted that she is not scared of taking the fight to the streets like she always has.
It doesn't matter if she's the chief minister – she still remembers how she got there.
In fact, at one point in the dharna she actually said that she couldn’t sit on the floor because she’s developed a ‘lumbar’ problem after being beaten up so much in her career.
Clearly stating that she's not new to this.
The fight now goes to Delhi. Right to Narendra Modi's doorsteps. And once again the chief minister has launched a direct attack on the prime minister – this time over a police officer's career.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)