On the face of it, the ongoing turmoil in the Arab world should have no relevance to the Assembly election in Bengal. However, it is being oftenreferred to by both ruling CPI(M) and rival Trinamul Congress.
In fact, before she became busy with preparations for the mother of all electoral battles at home, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was keenly monitoring the events in the Arab world. “Didi used to watch the unfolding revolution in Tunisia and Egypt on television,” a Trinamul MP close to Ms Banerjee said.
Ms Banerjee was so fascinated by the protests that members of civil society launched at Tahrir Square in Cairo. “Didi tried to find similarities between the Egyptian movement and her own Singur agitation. She was deeply impressed by the non-violent nature of the revolution and felt that admired the Egyptian people for their adoption of Gandhian method of protest,” the MP added.
On February 11, when the 18-day long movement forced Mubarak to step down, Ms Banerjee was overjoyed. Later, she often referred to the Egyptian revolution in her statements and speeches.
“When the people of Egypt could get rid of the tyrannical Mubarak regime after 30 years, why can’t the people of Bengal get liberated from over three-decade long repressive Marxist rule?” she would ask during her public speeches.
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee also found something in the subject to his advantage. Addressing a gathering, the CM flayed the US and its allies for launching air strikes against Libya.