The transition

Mamata Banerjee on dharna at Writers’ on January 7, 1993. She had gone to present Dipali Basak, a mute girl allegedly raped by a CPM leader, before Jyoti Basu but he refused to meet her. Mamata was later dragged away by policewomen

A wooden chair for the new chief minister. Mamata apparently pushed away predecessor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s chair (on left, covered with a towel). Picture by Pabitra Das

Mamata in the chief minister's chamber at Writers’ on Friday. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Calcutta, May 20: After an 18-year wait, Mamata Banerjee had to pause an extra few minutes. Getting into the chief minister’s chamber was suddenly proving difficult for the politician with a three-fourths majority, and she had to steal in through the back door.

When she was dragged out of Writers’ Buildings on January 7, 1993, Mamata had vowed not to repeat her visit until she could enter with her head held high. As that moment came around 4.30 this afternoon after exactly 6,707 days, a crowd of jostling staff, waiting to welcome her, blocked the VIP corridor leading to her new office.

It was the same room, then belonging to Jyoti Basu, from where Mamata was turned away in 1993 as she sat in dharna seeking justice for a raped deaf-mute girl.

Today, she had to wait 10 minutes after stepping off the VIP lift as her security tried and failed to carve a passage through the throng. An officer explained that Mamata had said no force should be used.

“So, we could not push the staff back. We escorted her through the inner corridor between the conference room and the CM’s office.”

It took Mamata 15 minutes from her Writers’ entry to her chamber. One of the first things she did was to have Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s towel-covered chair replaced with a plain wooden one.

When a three-member medical team entered the room, the anxious staff outside were reassured that it was only for a check-up because Mamata had walked the stretch from Raj Bhavan to Writers’ in scorching heat.

Sources said Mamata was given first aid for scratches she had suffered on her left elbow while shaking hands with the roadside crowd.

At 5.15, a roar went up in the corridor. “Ready thakun, CM beroben (be prepared, the CM will step out),” a security officer told the guards at the door.

As the door opened to reveal the new chief minister standing at the threshold, security officials ringed her but struggled to hold off the crowd. Many stretched out their arms.

A smile played on Mamata’s lips as the staff shouted: “We want a corruption-free administration.” As she walked down the corridor, a man appealed from behind: “Madam, please accept this small gift.”

Mamata turned back and accepted the bouquet of red roses. She read the card carefully: the flowers were from a pro-Trinamul government contractors’ association.

She resumed walking. Her security looked confused. “Madam, where would you like to go?” an officer asked. “To the balcony,” she replied.

Another struggle for security to open a passage. Mamata stood on the balcony for a minute, waving to the human sea on the road, before walking back to her chamber.

When she emerged around 6.05, the staff were still waiting. She folded her hands but couldn’t stop some of them from touching her feet. Giving up, she blessed them and walked to the conference room to talk with her ministers.