Big Fish. Small Fish.
"When will the Raghab Boyals be captured in connection with the chit fund scam?" was a question that was doing the rounds in Calcutta for some time. Who is this "Raghab Boyal?" I used to think, having never come across any other identify proof, far less a photograph in papers or news channels. I thought he must be some undercover operator. Turns out it's a phrase which means "big fish" and refers to the big catches in the cheat gate scandal. The opposite of Raghab Boyal is "Chuno Puti" which means small fish. Well, transport minister Madan Mitra was the first "Raghab Boyal" to be caught in the CBI net and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is raising a stink. Alleging that the Central investigative agency is acting at the behest of the Central government and is baying for the blood of TMC leaders, she has led street protests in Calcutta. TMC activists blocked CBI cars and had showered Madan with flower petals on his way to court. Since then, however, Mamata seems to have changed her strategy and headed for Delhi, intending to draw support in the Capital. Though at first President Pranab Mukherjee had reportedly asked her not to come, he later invited her to his home along with other dignitaries, where Mamata not only had a brief, serendipitous encounter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi but also shook hands. The press in Bengal is rife with speculation. The questions being asked are: Is this the Bengal CM's way of trying desperately to garner some goodwill and support at a time when other Raghab Boyals of her party may soon be caught? Are the street protests by Didi a way to appease Madan and show him that she is not making a scapegoat out of him (as she did with Kunal Ghosh, one of the Chuno Putis) so that he keeps his mouth shut? The closest that Madan has come to "naming" Mamata is during a court hearing he told the judge, "the CBI is forcing me to take the name of Mamata."