The Chief Minister alleges that the media, particularly one outlet, are spreading lies about her government, after being paid by the BJP. Her main objection is to the “manufacturing of the Bengali voters’ consent” by drumming up news, which, according to her, “are trivial.”

“…if Prime Minister expires, one expects a huge, bold headline in the paper. Similar headlines are carried every day to malign us for trivial news … shame.”

The book is being released at a time when a section of Trinamool Congress leaders have been cornered in the biggest financial scam in the State’s history.

The media house is “systematically” arm-twisting her with regard to postings and transfers, she says. “Who are you to the government, why should we take permission from you to do everything?” she asks. “Every business deal has to be with them [the media house], they will divide the populace and make Marwaris fight the Muslims and Bengalis,” oblivious of the fact that Bengalis could be both Hindus and Muslims. “But then the [media] house will malign us in Delhi,” the Chief Minister says.

“The media house wants government land of their choice. Then the government will have to develop the land and facilitate joint ventures. They will not pay taxes and we have to waive it and fund advertisement at a premium rate,” Ms. Banerjee says adding that her refusal to “toe the line” has directed the media against the Trinamool Congress.

Ms. Banerjee claims that the BJP is hand in glove with the media house. The BJP placed some hooligans involved in riots in leadership, she says. The BJP has “failed miserably” in the past three months and people had started voting against them in the by-elections, she adds.

Some of the sentences and phrases in the book hardly make sense. “Jealous ogre’s curd meat,” “Cockroach has devoured bird’s leg” or “a mountain of quake on head” may remind the reader of limericks of Edward Lear or West Bengal’s very own Sukumar Ray.

After lashing out at the media using syntaxes hitherto unknown in Bengali literature, Ms. Banerjee says that one “cannot misuse the power of the pen.” The Chief Minister also insists that she “loves criticism.”

Ms. Banerjee refrains from criticising her former rivals, the Left. However, she makes it clear that she still is not particularly fond of her predecessor, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, but admires Jyoti Basu for his “tough stand” against the media house in question.

In the acknowledgement, Ms. Banerjee has thanked renowned poet Subodh Sarkar for “typing” the text. Mr. Sarkar was a Left leader few years ago and was one of the closest associates of Mr. Bhattacharya. Ms. Banerjee has penned nearly 50 books so far.

TH

Mamata targets media house in new book