Eye on election, aggressive Mamata turns progressive

Is Union railway minister and Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee going for a conscious image makeover before the 2011 assembly election? 

Once known as the stormy petrel of Bengal politics, Mamata is pulling out all stops to project the image of an affable leader who has only the best interest of the state in mind. To achieve this goal, memories of the Trinamool-led anti-industrialisation movement were conveniently wiped out, and lo and behold, Mamata metamorphosed into a pro-industry leader. But, the transformation was not at the cost of her earlier stance that agriculture should not be neglected. So, at a recent Vijay Diwas rally in Kolkata, Mamata promised to strike a balance between industry and agriculture.

That she is as good as her word has already been proved by the promptness with which she delivered on her rail budget promises to the state. Bengal’s first ladies’ special local between Howrah and Bandel has been flagged off and a second between Sealdah and Kalyani will start from August.

Mamata is also serious about shedding all the ills of her past. She has asked party members to desist from calling bandhs and strikes at the drop of a hat and cautioned  them against resorting to violence in an effort to oust the Left Front from West Bengal.

She is also smiling a lot more in public and has adopted the image of a “big Didi” indulgently censuring the public to “be good”.  “Mamata has realised that to win over the educated class, she will have to act like a responsible leader,” summed up a political analyst.