West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with Minister of State for Coal and Energy Piyush Goyal
The bonhomie between Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi was on display last weekend when the prime minister visited West Bengal. Now, she has extended her warmth to Minister of State for Coal and Energy Piyush Goyal as well. And it was fully reciprocated, by Minister of State for Urban Development Babul Supriyo, once known as a Mamata baiter.
All this on Friday when Union Minister for Coal and Energy Piyush Goyal came to Kolkata to inaugurate Coal India's new headquarter. "I can only say that West Bengal is in the path of progress," he said, adding, "In the days to come, we are going to see more and more industrialization in the state in the spirit of co-operative federalism and in the spirit of team India that PM Narendra Modi has often enunciated and for which we have always received the support of Chief Minister Mamata didi."
Ms Banerjee reciprocated with equal warmth, equal also her warmth towards Mr Modi on Sunday in Burnpur when they inaugurated India's biggest blast furnace for steel production. And for second time in less than a week, she reminded all that she was once an ally of Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
"I worked as coal minister for three months when Atal Behari Vajpayee was PM. He insisted I take care of coal and mine," she said. "I can assure one thing from my state, whatever help you need, for expansion, for new, coal or power projects, we will always extend our cooperation to you," she added.
The warmest was Babul Supriyo, till the other day a Mamata baiter. Last Saturday, Ms Banerjee had given him a lift in her car and shared some jhulmuri (a Bengali puffed rice snack) with him and he is now singing a different tune.
"The big bang theory. The theory of relativity is e = mc square. If you have energy on side which stands for 'e' and 'C' for coal on the other side, in the middle you have 'm' which stands for Mamata didi," Mr Supriyo said, adding, "More power to the state governments, more respect to the federal structure."
Mamata Banerjee returned the warmth in word and gesture. "Babul of course is from my state... not going to give credit to him because he is son of soil. But really... thanks to my brother and minister Piyushji," she said.
Ms Banerjee's rivals haven't missed the bonhomie. CPM, in its mouthpiece, People's Democracy, says its Ms Banerjee's "ghar wapsi' to the BJP. Over the last week, neither party has tried to dispel that notion.