As the assembly election in West Bengal approaches, the battle is heating up with unexpected turns.
At an event in Kolkata on Saturday, January 23, to remember Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose -- the beloved national hero described by his daughter Anita Bose Piaff as a 'Secular Leftist' in a television interview last week -- shouts of 'Jai Shri Ram' were heard, no doubt to please the general leading the BJP's mission to capture Bengal from the Trinamool Congress.
BJP General Modi -- who was not seen to wear a mask in a photograph circulated from the Netaji event though he tells all of us to do so -- and BJP Lieutenant General Shah are dealing with a political guerrilla who has proved her streetfighting skills for over 30 years, first combating the Marxists who ruled Bengal from 1977 to 2011 and in recent times with the Modian BJP who have made it an article of faith to win power in Kolkata.
Dominic Xavier offers his take on the titanic tussle between the BJP commanders and their formidable political adversary who they have tried to weaken by desertions from her ranks.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
