The small car Nano finally took the Marxists of Bengal for a ride to a no man’s land of political wilderness.
Mamata Banerjee’s over two decades of tirade against the communists in West Bengal, finally bore a tangible result on Friday, riding on the anti-car factory movement, as she ended the over 34-year rule of the Left Front in the state, scripting a historic win.
Nothing can beat the contribution of Nano, the cheapest car of the world from Tata Motors, to the win of Mamata Banerjee and the loss of communists as the wonder automobile proved dearest for the Left whose misfortune started with the forcible acquisition of the farmlands of Singur for the project in 2006.
The Left could retain neither the Nano nor their flagship state.
Now, the firebrand leader and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee would be the next chief minister of West Bengal. She called on Governor MK Narayanan in the evening.
The communists survived the fall of Berlin Wall and collapse of Soviet Union, but the struggle that began in the green fields of Singur and travelled through the bloodied Nandigram hamlets, finally ended in a landslide and truly historic victory of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.
?This is the victory of people, of Ma, Mati and Manush [Mother, Soil and People],? said Mamata Banerjee, reiterating her favourite slogan, after it became certain that she is all set to be the next chief minister of West Bengal.
Her alliance partner Congress also did not try to take away the credit.
“Mamata has struggled a lot. This victory is the result of her struggle,? Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.
“The people of Bengal voted for Mamata and it is mandate for Mamata,” he said.
Wild jubilations by Trinamool Congress supporters swept the state as people blew conch shells and played with green (the colour of Trinamool) abir and thronged the Kalighat residence of Mamata Banerjee.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee lost his seat by over 16,000 votes in Jadavpur and resigned as the chief minister.
He drove out of Raj Bhavan at around 1-13 pm after putting in his papers to the governor, reports said.
According to the final result tally, the Trinamool Congress-Congress combine has won 226 seats while the Left Front managed 62. Other parties won five seats.
However, the final results are yet to be declared by the Election Commission as many put the final tally of TMC-Congress at 227 and the Left at 61.
Set to become the next Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the state finally got freedom from communist rule.
?After 35 years people got freedom in West Bengal. All of you remain quiet, be calm. We will maintain peace,? Banerjee told her supporters and the people while addressing a huge gathering in front of her south Kolkata residence here.
?This is the year of 150 years of Tagore’s birthday. Let us dedicated it to Tagore and Nazrul. I dedicated this victory to people. We will provide good governance. We will establish democracy. Sare Jahan Se Accha, Hindustan Hamara,? she said.
She said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi have already congratulated her on her victory.
?I got message from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. I thank them,? Banerjee said, adding that Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina also congratulated her.
?It is a victory of democracy, victory of mother, soil and people. We dedicate the victory to our motherland. It is a people’s verdict, people are the winners,? Mamata said.
? Let us remember the martyrs of three decades of struggle, we salute them. Let us remember the poor. We thank all the people with humility. This joy will bring happiness in Bengal.”
Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) leader Gautam Deb on Friday welcomed Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee as the next chief minister of West Bengal.
?I congratulate Mamata Banerjee. I even called her. We want West Bengal to have ?poribarton? (change), and that change should come under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. We will support her in all developmental works,? said Deb.
Reacting to Left Front?s defeat in the assembly polls, Deb said: ?This vote was not against the negative performance of Left Front, but a positive endorsement of a new government under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. Hope she lives up to her image.?
?We have failed to win confidence of our people. May be, they thought we are indifferent towards them. We didn?t correct our mistakes as per their expectations,? the CPI-M leader said.
Deb said it?s the ?fighter image? of Mamata that has drawn mass support.
He even conceded Mamata?s stand in Singur.
?Now it?s proven that she was right and we were wrong?we should have left 400 acre land, factory or no factory,? said Deb.
While Deb admitted the mistakes of Singur, West Bengal Land Reforms Minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah was unforgiving in slamming his party’s outgoing chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and his industry minister Nirupam Sen for pursuing land policy that led to the downfall of the government.
“They cannot catch a small snake and had set out to catch cobra,” said Mollah in a scathing attack, ridiculing the industrialization policy of Bhattacharjee and Sen.