1970–80: General-Secretary, Mahila Congress (I), West Bengal
1978–81: Secretary, District Congress Committee (Indira) [D.C.C. (I)],
Calcutta South
1984: General-Secretary, All India Youth Congress (I)
1985–87:Member, Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
1987–88:Member, National Council, All India Youth Congress (I)Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Home AffairsMember, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Human Resource Development1988Member, Executive Committee, Congress Parliamentary Party [C.P.P. (I)]
1989: Member, Executive Committee, Pradesh Congress Committee [P.C.C. (I)], West Bengal
1990: President, Youth Congress, West Bengal
1993–96: Member, Committee on Home Affairs
1995–96:Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Home AffairsMember, Committee on Public Accounts
1996–97:Member, Committee on Home AffairsMember, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Home Affairs
1998–99: Chairman, Committee on Railways, Member of General Purposes CommitteeMember, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Home Affairs
1999: Leader, All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party, Lok SabhaMember, General Purposes Committee
2001–2003: Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Industries
8 Sep. 2003 – 8 Jan. 2004: Union Cabinet Minister (without any portfolio)
2004: Member, Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law & Justice
5 Aug. 2006: Member, Committee on Home Affairs
5 Aug. 2007: Member, Committee on Home Affairs
31 May 2009–19 July 2011: Leader, All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party, Lok Sabha
Banerjee was born in Kolkata (formerly called Calcutta), West Bengal, to a Bengali Hindu Brahmin family.[14][15] Her parents were Promileswar Banerjee and Gayetri Devi.[16] Banerjee's father, Promileswar died due to lack of medical treatment, when she was 17.[17]
In 1999, she joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and became Railways Minister.[31] In 2000, Banerjee presented her first Railway Budget. In it, she fulfilled many of her promises to her home state West Bengal.[36] She introduced a new biweekly New Delhi-SealdahRajdhani Express train and four express trains connecting various parts of West Bengal, namely the Howrah-Purulia Rupasi Bangla Express, the Sealdah-New JalpaiguriPadatik Express, the Shalimar-Adra Aranyak Express, the Sealdah-Ajmer Ananya Superfast Express, and Sealdah-Amritsar Akal Takht Superfast Express.[36] She also increased the frequency of the Pune-HowrahAzad Hind Express and extended at least three express train services. Work on the Digha-Howrah Express service was also hastened during her brief tenure.[37]
In 2000, she and Ajit Kumar Panja resigned to protest the hike in petroleum prices,[38] and then withdrew their resignations without providing any reasons.[39]
2001 West Bengal election
In early 2001, after Tehelka's exposure of Operation West End,[40] Banerjee walked out of the NDA cabinet and allied with the Congress Party for West Bengal's 2001 elections, to protest the corruption charges levelled by the website against senior ministers of the government.[41]
Minister of Coal and Mines, January 2004 – May 2004
Banerjee assumes the charge of the Minister for Coal and Mines in New Delhi on 9 January 2004
She returned to the NDA government in September 2003 as a cabinet minister without any portfolio.[42] Along with Mamata, her party colleague Sudip Banerjee was also inducted in the Vajpayee ministry.[43] On 9 January 2004 she took charge as Ministry of Coal and Mines.[44] During her short term as the minister of coal and mines, the government disallowed sell of National Aluminium Company.[45] She held the Coal and Mines portfolios till 22 May 2004.
On 20 October 2005, she protested against the forceful land acquisition and the atrocities[clarification needed] perpetrated against local farmers in the name of the industrial development policy of the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government in West Bengal. Benny Santoso, CEO of the Indonesia-based Salim Group, had pledged a large investment in West Bengal, and the West Bengal government had given him farmland in Howrah, sparking protests. In soaking rain, Banerjee and other Trinamool Congress members stood in front of the Taj Hotel where Santoso had arrived, shut out by the police. Later, she and her supporters followed Santoso's convoy. A planned "black flag" protest was avoided, when the government had Santoso arrive three hours ahead of schedule.[53][54]
In November 2006, Banerjee was forcibly stopped on her way to Singur for a rally against a proposed Tata Motors car project. Banerjee reached the West Bengal assembly and protested at the venue. She addressed a press conference at the assembly and announced a 12-hour shutdown by her party on Friday.[55] The Trinamool Congress MLAs protested by damaging furniture and microphones and vandalizing the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Building[55][56] (It happened after the TMC supremo, who was arrested by police earlier in that day 'for violating prohibitory orders' near Singur, alleged that the administration had acted ‘unconstitutionally’ by preventing her from entering Singur where the Tata motors proposed to set up a small car factory. She was intercepted at Hooghly and sent back.[57]). A major strike was called on 14 December 2006. But all-in-all, there was no gain.
The Nandigram violence was an incident in Nandigram, West Bengal occurred in 2007 where a battalion of armed police stormed the rural area in the district of Purba Medinipur with the aim of quashing protests against the West Bengal government's plans to expropriate 10,000 acres (40 km2) of land for a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to be developed by the Indonesian-based Salim Group. At least 14 villagers were shot dead and 70 more were wounded. This led to a large number of intellectuals to protest on the streets.[clarification needed].[58][59][60]
Banerjee wrote letters to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to stop what she called "state-sponsored violence" promoted by CPI(M) in Nandigram. Her political activism during the movement is widely believed to be one of the contributing causes to her landslide victory in 2011.
The CBI report on the incident vindicated CPI(M)'s stand that Buddhadeb did not order the police to open fire. They did so only to disperse the unlawful assembly after every other standard operating procedure had failed.[61][62] But supporting the violence in Nandigram by his own party workers, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya had said earlier "They (the oppositions) have been paid back in the same coin."[63][64] There is allegations that some local TMC leaders were involved in the Nandigram Violence.[65]
Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister Government of West Bengal speaking at an event in London.
2009–2011 electoral progress
Before the 2009 parliamentary elections she forged an alliance with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by Indian National Congress. The alliance won 26 seats. Banerjee joined the central cabinet as the railway minister (second tenure). In the 2010 Municipal Elections in West Bengal, TMC won Kolkata Municipal Corporation by a margin of 62 seats. TMC also won Bidhan Nagar Corporation by a seven-seat margin.[66] In 2011, Banerjee won a sweeping majority and assumed the position of chief minister of the state of West Bengal. Her party ended the 34-year rule of the Left Front.
Trinamool Congress performed well in the 2009 parliamentary election, winning 19 seats. Its allies in congress and SUCI also won six and one seat respectively marking the best performance by any opposition party in West Bengal since the beginning of the Left's regime. Until then, the Congress victory of 16 seats in 1984, was considered their best show in opposition.
Railway Minister (second tenure), 2009–2011
In 2009, Mamata Banerjee became the railway minister for the second time. Her focus was again on West Bengal.[67]
Banerjee sworn again as Cabinet Minister at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi at 2009.
She led Indian Railways to introduce a number of non-stop Duronto Express trains connecting large cities[68] as well as a number of other passenger trains,[69] including women-only trains.[70][71][72] The Anantnag-Qadigund segment of the Jammu–Baramulla line that had been in the making since 1994[73] was inaugurated during her tenure.[74] She also declared the 25 km (16 mi) long line-1 of the Kolkata Metro as an independent zone of the Indian Railways[75] for which she was criticised.[76]
She stepped down as railway minister to become the chief minister of West Bengal. She commented: "The way I am leaving the railways behind, it will run well. Don’t worry, my successor will get all my support."[77] Her nominee from her party, Dinesh Trivedi, succeeded her as railway minister.
Banerjee's tenure as railway minister was subsequently questioned as most of the big-ticket announcements made by her when she held the post, saw little or no progress.[78] Reuters reported that "Her two-year record as railway minister has been heavily criticized for running the network into more debt to pay for populist measures such as more passenger trains."[79] The Indian Railways became loss-making during her two-year tenure.[80]
Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister Government of West Bengal shown at an event in London on 27 July 2015.
Smt. Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, flagging off the trains from Digha, along with Minister of Railways, Shri Mukul Roy on 16 February 2012.
In 2011, the All India Trinamool Congress along with SUCI and the INC won the West Bengal legislative assembly election against the incumbent Left Alliance by securing 227 seats. TMC won 184 seats with the INC winning 42 seats and the SUCI secured one seat. This marked the end of the longest ruling democratically elected Communist party in the world.[citation needed]
Mamata Banerjee takes the oath of office as Chief Minister administered by Governor M. K. Narayanan on 20 May 2011.
Banerjee was sworn in as chief minister of West Bengal on 20 May 2011.[81] As the first female chief minister of West Bengal,[81] one of her first decisions was to return 400 acres of land to Singur farmers. "The cabinet has decided to return 400 acres to unwilling farmers in Singur," the chief minister said. "I have instructed the department to prepare the papers for this. If Tata-babu (Ratan Tata) wants, he can set up his factory on the remaining 600 acres, otherwise we will see how to go about it."[82]
She began various reforms in the education and health sectors. Some of the reforms in the education sector included the release of teachers' monthly pay on the first of every month[84][85] and quicker pensions for retiring teachers.[86] In the health sector Banerjee promised: "A three-phase developmental system will be taken up to improve the health infrastructure and service."[87] On 30 April 2015, a representative of UNICEF India congratulated the government for making Nadia the first Open Defecation Free district in the country.[88] In a statement on 17 October 2012, Banerjee attributed the increasing incidence of rape in the country to "more free interaction between men and women". She said that "Earlier if men and women would hold hands, they would get caught by parents and reprimanded but now everything is so open. It’s like an open market with open options." She was criticised in the national media for these statements.[89]
She was also instrumental in the rollback of the petrol price hikes[90] and the suspension of FDI in the retail sector until a consensus is evolved.[91] In a bid to improve the law and enforcement situation in West Bengal, police commissionerates were created at Howrah, Barrackpore, Durgapur-Asansol and Bidhannagar. The total area of Kolkata Municipal Corporation has been brought under the control of the Kolkata Police.
Mamata Banerjee at the Inaugural Address of 38th International Kolkata Book Fair in 2014.
Banerjee had shown a keen interest in making the public aware of the state's history and culture. She named several stations of the Kolkata Metro after freedom fighters,[92] and plans on naming upcoming stations after religious leaders, poets, singers and the like.[93] Mamata Banerjee has been criticised for starting controversial stipends to imams (Iman Bhatta)[94][95][96] which was ruled unconstitutional by Calcutta High Court.[97][98][99]
Priti Patel, Then Minister of State for Employment in Government of United Kingdom, and current Home Secretary of United Kingdom meeting Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister Government of West Bengal in London.
On 16 February 2012, Bill Gates, of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, sent a letter to the West Bengal government praising Banerjee and her administration for achieving a full year without any reported cases of polio. The letter said this was not only a milestone for India but also for the whole world.[100]
In June 2012, she launched a Facebook page to rally and gather public support for A.P.J Abdul Kalam, her party's choice for the presidential elections.[101] After he refused to stand for the second time, she supported Pranab Mukherjee for the post, after a long tussle over the issue, commenting she was personally a "great fan" of Mukherjee and wishing that he "grows from strength to strength".[102]
She is against calling bandhs (work stoppage) although actively supported them when she was in opposition.[103]
Her tenure was also heavily marred by the Saradha Scam – a financial embezzlement which led to the imprisonment of Madan Mitra – a former minister in her cabinet, Kunal Ghosh-a party MP, and rigorous grilling of several party men holding important posts.
In the 2016 assembly elections, All India Trinamool Congress won with a landslide two-thirds majority under Mamata Banerjee winning 211 seats out of total 293,[104] who has been elected as Chief Minister West Bengal for the second term.[105]All India Trinamool Congress won with an enhanced majority contesting alone and became the first ruling party to win without an ally since 1962 in West Bengal.
The Saradha Group financial scandal and the Rose Valley financial scandal came to light during her tenure and some of her cabinet ministers were accused of money laundering and have been incarcerated.[109] One of her paintings was also sold to Sudipto Sen (central figure in the Saradha scam) for ₹1.8crore, while 20 more of her pictures were seized from other Saradha Group shareholders.[110][111][112][113][114] She has been criticised by opposition parties for not taking adequate steps against her own ministers who tried to cover-up their deeds.[115][116]
Fake PhD controversy
Until 1991 Mamata Banerjee claimed to have obtained a PhD degree from "East Georgia University" in United States. It was later found that no such university existed and she stopped mentioning this degree subsequently.[117][118][better source needed]
The Narada sting operation was carried out by Mathew Samuel in 2011 for the Indian newsmagazine Tehelka and published on Naradanews.com just before the 2016 West Bengal Assembly elections. The sting targeted high-ranking officials and politicians of Banerjee's political party All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).[122][123]
During her tenure she challenged the federal system of India when she ordered the arrest of CBI officials, who arrived in Kolkata to investigate the Saradha Group financial scandal.[124] CBI's attempted arrest of Kolkata Police Commissioner was also an attack on federalism.[125]
Allegations of Muslim appeasement
Mamata Banerjee and her government has been accused of "Muslim appeasement" several times by different groups of people including the opposition political parties.[126][127][128][129]
Imam Bhatta controversy
Mamata Banerjee has been criticised for starting controversial stipends to imams (Iman Bhatta).[94][95][96] The stipends were ruled unconstitutional by Calcutta High Court and ordered the West Bengal government to stop payment of the monthly stipend to thousands of imams and muezzins in the state.[97][98][99]
Durga Idol immersion controversy
In October 2016, the West Bengal government banned the Durga Puja festival immersion after 4:00 pm. Durga Puja was to take place on 12 October and Muharram on 13 October. This was seen by a section of the West Bengal population as another example of the "Muslim Appeasement" policy of Banerjee's government. The Calcutta High Court overturned the decision and called it "a bid to appease minorities".[130][131][132]
Suppressed campus democracy and youth agitations
Mamata Banerjee denied permission for Anti-CAA rallies and suppressed campus democracy in West Bengal.[133][134][135][136] The West Bengal police denied permission to Aishe Ghosh to hold a rally at Durgapur in Bengal’s West Burdwan district saying chief minister Mamata Banerjee was holding a roadshow at the same spot. “A huge crowd had assembled for the chief minister’s rally. Another rally at the same spot would have led to chaos,” an officer from Durgapur police station said. [137]
Banerjee and her government was widely criticised of the handling of the Coronavirus pandemic and was accused of concealing facts by the opposition, critics[138][139][140] and many doctors.[141]
The opposition accused Mamata of playing “appeasement politics” amid the COVID-19 crisis. On 1 April, Banerjee claimed that the West Bengal Government have already traced 54 people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat religious gathering during the COVID-19 Outbreak, and 44 of them are foreigners. Although according to a report by central security agencies, 232 people had attended Delhi's Tablighi Jamaat event from West Bengal. Of this, 123 are Indian nationals and 109 are foreigners.[142][140]
Throughout her political life, Banerjee has maintained a publicly austere lifestyle, dressing in simple traditional Bengali clothes and avoiding luxuries.[147][148]
In an interview in April 2019, Prime minister Narendra Modi claimed that despite their political differences, Banerjee sends her own selected kurtas and sweets to him every year.[149]
^As per the constitution rules, if a Chief Minister loses from a assembly constituency but his/her party won with majority seats, he/she can be re-elected first from the MLA in the assembly unanimously and then she can assume again as chief minister.[1]
^Das, Soumitra (26 July 2009). "Game of the name". The Telegraph India. Calcutta, India. Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
^Mandal, Sanjay (16 January 2011). "Didi's metro name game". The Telegraph India. Calcutta, India. Archived from the original on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
^Rohini Chatterji (2 April 2020). "Only 3 Dead In West Bengal, Says Mamata; 54 Tablighi Jamaat Attendees Quarantined". huffingtonpost.in. HuffPost. Retrieved 10 April 2020. Confusion prevailed on the death toll from the novel coronavirus in West Bengal with Mamata Banerjee claiming only three people had been confirmed to have died of the coronavirus. However, a state health department official told PTI the death toll was now at 7.
^ ab"Is hiding Jamaat cases about vote bank: BJP asks Mamata on Bengal coronavirus numbers". India Today. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020. The BJP has accused Mamata Banerjee of indulging in vote bank politics after the West Bengal Chief Minister refused to share update on those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, identified as a hotspot for the spread of novel coronavirus.
^Madhuparna Das (7 April 2020). "Mamata calls questions on Tablighi event 'communal', avoids giving any answers". ThePrint. Retrieved 9 April 2020. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday declined to give an update on the status of the people from the state who had attended Delhi’s Tablighi Jamaat congregation, telling the media to not ask “communal questions”.
^Himadri Ghosh (11 April 2020). "COVID-19: Data Shows West Bengal's Testing Is the Lowest Among Larger States". Kolkata: The Wire. Retrieved 14 April 2020. West Bengal has conducted 1,889 tests as on April 9, according to the data furnished by the state health department. A total of 144,910 samples from 130,792 individuals have been tested as on April 9, 2020, 9 pm across India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said.
^Shantanu Guha Ray (18 April 2020). "Bengal sitting on a coronavirus time bomb". sundayguardianlive.com. The Sunday Guardian. Retrieved 20 April 2020. Doctors complain that state authorities’ approval is needed for each Covid-19 test, and is regularly refused. As a result, patients suspected to be suffering from Covid-19 are not being isolated soon enough.
^Ajanta Chakraborty, Dwaipayan Ghosh, Tamaghna Banerjee (23 April 2020). "West Bengal: No mobile in coronavirus facilities, says health department". timesofindia.com. Kolkata: Times of India. Retrieved 23 April 2020. Union minister Babul Supriyo tweeted on the ban on mobiles in hospitals, questioning its timing. He questioned whether the person who recorded the video had been “booked”. Kolkata Police responded it was completely incorrect and a misinformation.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)