The great somersault

Immediately after she assumed power after routing the Left Front, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's government had approved the land boundary agreement with Bangladesh.

Ananda Bazar Patrika, India's top Bangla daily, on Saturday carried the facsimile copy of a letter that West Bengal Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh wrote to India's Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai on Aug 20, 2011.

The letter no 176-CS/2011 says in unambiguous terms -- "I hereby convey the state government's approval of the draft protocol."

The letter begins with the reference – “Please refer to your DO letter no 14340/FS/2011 dated August 14, 2011 seeking approval of the Government of West Bengal of the draft protocol to the agreement concerning the 'Demarcation of the Land Boundary between India and Bangladesh and Related Matters'.”

Mamata Banerjee's Trinamul Congress had taken charge of the state government in May 2011 -- a good three months before Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh wrote this letter to Ranjan Mathai.

And this would have never happened unless the new chief minister had agreed to it, because no Chief Secretary would send off such a letter without first seeking concurrence of his political boss -- in this case, the Chief Minister.

Mamata Banerjee in Assam to offer special prayers at Kamakyha temple but her party's Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien, who played a lead role in disrupting the proceedings to stall Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid from placing the 119 constitutional amendment bill to formalise the Land Boundary Agreement last week, said "the letter by the former chief secretary reflected administrative continuity and not the political stand of the Trinamul Congress."

What is that supposed to mean?

Derek O' Brien told bdnews24.com that the Left Front government had decided to support the Land Boundary Agreement and the Chief Secretary merely conveyed what the state had decided before 'we came to power'.

Samar Ghosh, who later retired, says that is true but he insists that the matter was taken up with the new Chief Minister and she gave the green light on the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh.

"I am an experienced administrator and you mean to say I write such a letter to the Indian Foreign Secretary without consulting the Chief MInister?" Ghosh told bdnews24.com.

"I did consult Mamata Banerjee and she said we agree, so I conveyed the same to Ranjan Mathai."

Actually, the Trinamul came to power with the Congress in its ruling alliance and Mamata Banerjee was not opposed to the Land Boundary Agreement because West Bengal would be getting more land than it had to give in the transfer of the enclaves that would follow the agreement.

She opposes Teesta water-sharing deal but not LBA, but last week she instructed her MPs to stop the introduction of the bill in the parliament, even when the BJP which has earlier opposed it did nothing to stop it.

The BJP has now largely come round to the view that not only would the agreement benefit the residents of the enclaves but also by not signing the agreement India will end up discrediting the Hasina government which has been so friendly to India.

Former Assam and Kashmir Governor Lt Gen SK Sinha played a major role in swinging the BJP on the issue, so that even they cannot support the bill, they should not oppose it.

In an interview to ANI, Sinha lauded Hasina for her decisive role in cracking down on Islamic fundamentalists and for addressing India's security concerns.

But now that Mamata has parted ways with the Congress, she seems to be opposing everything that the Congress is up to -- including reversing course on the LBA with Bangladesh which she had earlier supported.

Those close to Mamata says she is peeved at the Indian government refusing to dole out Rs 25000 crores as special economic package for West Bengal that she has been demanding -- and also for giving a fresh lease of life to the Gorkhaland movement in Darjeeling by announcing the new state of Telengana.