Mamata Banerjee Takes Aim At Narendra Modi And Demonetisation!

An eye on the big stage, Mamata takes aim at Modi, and demonetisation.

- Romita Datta

It was prime time on the night of November 8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a long televised appearance, proclaiming sudden death for Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes, leaving the nation stunned and many questions regarding his black money purge unanswered. Elsewhere, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien, who was disembarking from a plane, got a text message from his boss, Mamata Banerjee. O’Brien, who handles Mamata’s Twitter account, worriedly sat down on his aircraft seat and immersed himself in a phone frenzy. Soon, a Mamata tweet flashed: “Withdraw this draconian decision.” Seven more followed, directing her ire at the “heartless and ill-conceived” demonetisation, empathising with the “poorest brothers and sisters, who earned their wages in 500 rupee notes”, and worrying about how they would buy daily need items.

That was the start. Over the past one month, a name that has consistently grabbed headlines along with Modi and his demonetisation drive is Mamata’s. Since the currency ban, she has wasted no time in lunging at any opportunity to project herself as the most vocal critic of the move among Opposition leaders, and at playing messiah to the masses. Mamata was quick to get on social media and demand a rollback of demonetisation—even as the likes of Nitish Kumar and Mulayam Singh Yadav reserved comment initially and the Congress and the Left floundered for the ‘right’ response. By November 12, Mamata had hit the streets—a surprise visit to an ATM on Kolkata’s Hazra Road to gauge the public mood, followed by rounds to the city’s RBI office and Burrabazar.