By Justice Markandey Katju
For 15 years, from 2011 to her downfall in 2026, Mamata Banerji was the Chief Minister of West Bengal, and ruled the state like an autocrat, an Empress and a monarch of all that she surveyed, probably thinking she would remain in power forever ( which is precisely what Napoleon and Hitler had also thought ).
I first saw her at Allahabad ( my hometown) in 1989 when she had come to support the Congress party in the election of VP Singh ( who later won and became India's Prime Minister ). In a rally in that election, which I attended, she was screaming and shouting against VP Singh, a technique, like that of Hitler, which became her style and forte.
After she had become the Chief Minister of West Bengal in 2011, I once visited Kolkata. I heard on loudspeakers on many roads Rabindra Sangeet being loudly blared out, which she had obviously ordered to emphasize and display her commitment to Bengali culture.
I attended a political meeting in Kolkata, which she had organised, and saw trucks full of people being brought in to fill the grounds where the meeting was held, obviously to create an impression that she had a huge number of supporters. In fact these people appeared to me to be hirelings and goons, and Mamata had built an army of goons, like Hitler's SA, to intimidate her opponents. And like Hitler's SA, these goons also extorted businessmen, shopkeepers, and others, compelling them under dire threats to pay 'protection money', like the American mafia, with the police turning a Nelson's eye, for fear of victimization if they interfered.
Mamata was very vindictive, and could brook no criticism from any quarter. She got arrested and jailed Jadavpur University Professor Ambikesh Mahapatra only because he had shared a cartoon of her on the social media, and similarly she got arrested and jailed a farmer Siladitya Choudhary ( accusing him of being a Maoist ) just because in her public meeting he said that she had done nothing for farmers.
In a show, when asked an uncomfortable question by a student, she accused the questioner of being Maoists and CPM cadre, and walked out from the show in a huff.
Corruption was at its peak during her rule, e.g. the Sarada scam
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saradha_Group_financial_scandal
https://www.epw.in/engage/article/ponzi-schemes-corruption-west-bengal-tmc-mamata-banerjee
There was a lawyer in Allahabad High Court ( where I practised ), who used to intimidate judges, and often say '' Mujhe gundai phali hai '' ( i.e. I have prospered by my hooliganism ). The same could be said of Mamata Banerji. She had nothing in her head about how to solve the massive socio-economic problems of West Bengal, so she resorted to theatrics, shouting, and intimidation.
To get the votes of the 28 % Muslim population of West Bengal she would go to any extent in Muslim appeasement, as detailed in the links below :
https://newsbred.com/bjp-would-be-a-clear-winner-in-bengal-due-to-mamata-s-muslim-appeasement/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6qlhjeekKs
But by this policy of Muslim appeasement, she drove a large number of the 71 % Hindus in West Bengal towards the BJP.
She liked to be surrounded by yes men. But to run a government properly, a leader needs to have competent and upright men around him who can say no, without any fear of retribution. One needs to have good advisors to run the government, as Chanakya said in his Arthashastra. But Mamata only wanted chamchas ( sycophants ) near her.
So, about her party's and her personal defeat in the 2026 state assembly elections, all that can and must be said is: good riddance of bad rubbish
(Justice Katju is a retired Judge of the Supreme Court of India and a former Chairman of the Press Council of India. These are his personal views.)
