Prashant Kishor checks in to manage Mamata's Covid-19 crisis as Oppn mounts attack on her

With the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government led by Mamata Banerjee facing criticism from the Opposition and the Governor's House over its handling of the Coronavirus situation in West Bengal, the arrival of her political strategist Prashant Kishor assumes signifiance.

IBNS has learnt from a source that the political strategist is presently in the city but not for any political purpose or campaign-related matter.

"Any activity related to the election campaign is not allowed at this moment. Every outreach activity has been stalled right now. So he is here of course for advising the party but it can be on various sides. But in a crisis situation like this, it cannot be related to the election because the most important thing right now is the fight against COVID," a source close to Kishor told IBNS.

However, all senior leaders and lawmakers of the ruling TMC contacted refused to comment on Kishor. 

Kishor's emergence in the Bengal politics occurred in mid-2019 after the TMC, which has been ruling the state for nine years now, suffered a massive setback in the General Elections with its MP tally reduced from 34 to 22 amid the unprecedented surge of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

At a time Chief Minister Banerjee was losing her plot in Bengal politics, which was largely controlled by the TMC for a decade, evident from her public outrages at the alleged saffron men who were chanting "Jai Shree Ram", Kishore was roped in by the ruling party.

Over the next few months, the TMC under the guidance of Kishor had launched a slew of correctional measures as well as campaigns to rescue Banerjee's image, leading to election victories in the bypolls.

Though the TMC government's tackling of COVID-19 situation was hugely applauded by social media users initially with Banerjee taking the lead in containing the virus and hitting the streets to demonstrate social distancing methods, the government in April started becoming unpopular across  because of its alleged  slackness in Coronavirus testing and suppression of figures.

Kishor's entry into Kolkata has appeared to be nothing other than Banerjee's effort to gain "political mileage", according to the CPI-M, which was once the arch-rival of the TMC.

Speaking to IBNS on Friday afternoon, CPI-M leader Sujan Chakraborty said, "Mamata Banerjee is not dealing the COVID-19 as per medical science but utiliising the issue fashionably from a political and campaigning point of view. Her main intention is to get political mileage and for that reason only, Prashant Kishor has been flown to Kolkata."

"It is clear that the state machinery has failed in providing food or other arrangements or medical facilities. Since it is increasingly understood by the people that it is the failure of the government, Prashant Kishor has been called to mitigate that from a campaign purpose," he said.

"It is clarified that a special cargo flight was managed for Prashant Kishor. This cannot happen without the support of the DGCA or the government of India," the Jadavpur MLA said referring to a possible bonhomie between the TMC and BJP.

Almost in the same tune of Chakraborty, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said Kishor's flight to the state reflects the complete breakdown of Banerjee's administration.

Ghosh told IBNS, "It is true the way Mamata Banerjee is running the administration is not the right way. She herself is violating the lockdown. There is neither any administration nor any lockdown in the state. People are not getting rations. So a financially funded-person like Prashant Kishor has been brought.

How can he travel at a time the travel across the entire nation has been halted. Mamata Banerjee neither has the trust in her party nor her administration. So the last resort is Prashant Kishor."

Not going deeper into Chakraborty's claim of TMC-BJP mutual understanding, Ghosh said, "There are hundreds of people who are travelling taking Prime Minister's permission. There are plenty of instances where people are travelling (for emergency purposes) taking permission. But my question is why he will have to be flown (by TMC)?"