Trinamool's Telangana Turmoil
Mamata Banerjee found herself facing a rather tricky national political situation this week, which though does not directly involve her, nevertheless demanded a response from her, especially considering that her name has been coming up lately as among the possible contenders for the Prime Minister's post, post the Parliamentary elections later this year. First the Telangana issue forced her Trinamool Congress Party to take an out and out anti-division stance which, just before the Lok Sabha polls may alienate pro-separatist voters in her own state, Bengal. While Mamata has categorically ruled out the creation of a separate Gorkha state, the possibility, just before the Parliamentary polls, of an unrest erupting in the hills of North Bengal if agitators in Darjeeling decide to renew their demands post the creation of Telangana, is a development she does not want happening. So to have to spell it out once again just before the elections that the TMC is anti-division is not something that Mamata would have liked to do but had to do anyway as all political parties found themselves having to vote on the Telegana issue.