Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, and the Trinamool Congress supremo, has made a promise at her party’s 21st July gathering at Dharmatala, Kolkata – she says that she will paint again, she will write again (“ami abar akbo, ami abar likhbo”). The people will remember that the sale of her painting for 1.8 crore rupees was linked to the Saradha Ponzi scam. People also remember her declaring that while the national parties own crores of rupees, her party is a “poor” party and she must paint and write to sponsor their election campaign. These memories will inevitably be stirred when she talks of painting again. The people ask whether she has found a replacement for the Saradha group to sponsor her party. In that case, the people of Bengal are left to wonder whether they must steel themselves for another big scam, and how many families will be pushed to the brink of the abyss of ruin this time around.

 24.7.2014