Mamata Takes A Leaf Out Of Hasina's Book

Remarkably powerful leaders make mistakes often marking the beginning of their end. Mamata Banerjee may have made one such cardinal mistake after which the people of Bengal took to streets protesting against the rape, brutalization and murder of a trainee doctor in city's R G Kar Medical College Hospital.

- Suvojit Bagchi

Both her friends and foes are convinced of it. Mamata has made comments best described by William Shakespeare (mouthed by Brutus, as he contemplates killing Julius Caesar for the greater good) when he said that "the abuse of greatness" is "when it disjoins remorse from power."

The ruler is so intoxicated by power that she disconnects it from remorse or compassion; that is Mamata Banerjee, seemingly blinded by power. Steeped in half a century of politics, seemingly robustly connected to her electorate, as her pro people welfare schemes demonstrate, yet here she is, her recent words and actions taking her further away from the electorate, a disconnect as it were of "remorse from power."

In the face of state-wide protests staring at her, this is what she said: "This is the politics of Bam-Ram," indicating the protest is led by the Left and the party of Ram, the BJP.