Mamata Banerjee Biography: From Being a Milk Vendor to Ruling Bengal (The Life and Political Career of Mamata Didi)

Early Life

The Bengal Chief Minister hails from an extremely humble background. Having lost her father at a tender age, she had to take up the responsibility of supporting her family. Reportedly, Banerjee also worked as a milk vendor in order to stave off poverty. This kind of simplicity appears to have carried over to her later life.

She has academic degrees in multiple associated fields. She has a Bachelor's degree in History, a Master's degree in Islamic History and degrees in Education and Law. She also holds a honorary doctorate from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology and a Doctorate of Literature degree from Calcutta University.

As a young history undergraduate student in Kolkata’s Jogamaya Devi College, she established the Chhatra Parishad - the student’s wing of the then Congress, in the college itself. In 1970, the Parishad led by her defeated the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation - the students’ wing of the SUCI (Communist) in the college union elections.

Foray Into National Politics

Prior to founding the Trinamool Congress, Mamata had worked as a Congress leader. In 1976, she was elected as the General Secretary of the women’s wing in West Bengal and since then, there has been no looking back. She also went on to hold the post of Secretary of the District Congress Committee of Calcutta South.

Banerjee shot to fame in 1977 when she stopped ‘Loknayak’ Jayprakash Narayan from entering Kolkata. The stalwart, who was often referred to as the ‘hero of Quit India Movement’, was asked by a twenty two year old Mamata to ‘quit Calcutta’. She stopped Narayan’s car which was going to a meeting venue by lying down on the road right in front of it.

She entered the Parliament in 1984 after defeating Marxist leader Somnath Chatterjee,  becoming one of India's youngest Parliamentarians. She was also an integral part of Rajiv Gandhi’s fabled ‘shouting brigade’. Known for being intolerant to criticism, she would often shut down opposition members trying to  criticize the Congress.

She served as the Union Minister of State for Human Resources, Youth Affairs and Sports and Women and Child Development in the ministerial cabinet of the government led by Narsimha Rao in 1991

She did not even show any mercy to her own government and fiercely criticized the ruling government’s indifference to the proposals given by her for improving sports in the country. Such events resulted in her resignation from the portfolio.

She was bold enough to demand a "Clean Congress" and while addressing a private rally in Kolkata she showcased a dramatic episode and wrapped her own shawl around her neck while threatening to make a loop out of it. 

In 1996, she protested against the government's decision to raise the petrol prices despite being the union minister in the same. Utter disagreement with the congress party consequentially led to her bidding farewell to it and she ended her relationship with the party on a sour note by calling it a puppet of the communist party. 

She was determined to end the left rule in Bengal and in 1997 she started her own party- Trinamool Congress only to find a new ally in the National Democratic Alliance which in no time emerged as a strong force against the communist party.

Brief Relationship With The NDA

She became the Union minister of Railways in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and fulfilled many of her promises to West Bengal. In 2002, she became the first female minister to present the Railways Budget.  She introduced 19 new trains in fiscal year 2000-2001.

She was vocal against the West Bengal government's plans to acquire 10,000 acres of land for a proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ). She resigned from the NDA government in 2001 because of certain allegations and returned to the cabinet in 2004 as a Coal and Mines minister.

However, Trinamool Congress members were defeated in the West Bengal assembly elections 2006. This was one of the most major setbacks in her career. Trinamool Congress entered into an alliance with the UPA government and Mamata Banerjee became the Indian Railway minister once again.

In 2006, Mamata fought against forceful land acquisition when the government planned to allot land to TATA for setting up a car factory. She advocated in favor of the land rights of farmers which led to the exit of Tata, got her international attention and she came to the forefront of West Bengal politics.

2011- Present: Breakthrough

The 2011 assembly elections proved to be a major turning point in her political career. In these elections the Trinamool Congress won and on 20th May, 2011 Mamata Banerjee became the first ever woman Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Her party defeated the communist party which ruled in Bengal for 34 years, uprooting the longest serving democratically elected communist rule in the world. She also emerged victorious in the 2016 assembly election of West Bengal, earning a second term as the chief minister.

With the 2020 West Bengal assembly elections approaching in no time, the TMC seems to be hopeful and Mamata Banerjee has laid eyes on a yet another Chief Ministerial term. However, this time, it won't be easy because the BJP has also witnessed a sharp increase in popularity in the state in the past couple of years. 

Takeaways From This Personality

1. A self-made leader in the real sense, started from the bottom and rose to the top, which in itself is commendable.

2. She has fought against corruption and been deemed as one of the most honest politicians of the country.

3. The skoch CM of the year award was given to Mamta Banerjee recognizing her contribution towards the overall development of West Bengal and her state emerged as the best performing state within the field of Governance.

4. She is known for rejecting fancy convoys to commute,  not staking claim over the Chief Ministers’ residence and leading an extremely simple lifestyle, just like a true leader should.