There are no pals or rivals in politics - be it electoral politics or trade union politics.
An archetypal foe-turned-friend drama was played out at Dhanbad's celebrated Singh Mansion on Wednesday when Left-wing stalwart Aparna Sengupta formally merged her Agragami Jharkhand Mazdoor Union with Jharia MLA Sanjeev Singh's Janata Mazdoor Sangh, which is an affiliate of Hind Mazdoor Sabha.
Sengupta, who served as the general secretary of Agragami, will be offered a senior post in Singh's Sangh at a central committee meeting soon. The BJP MLA, who is himself the joint general secretary of the Sangh, greeted her at his mansion in the presence of his mother, former Jharia MLA Kunti Singh, and senior office-bearers of his trade union.
The Janata Mazdoor Sangh, which was founded by MLA Singh's father Suryadeo Singh, had always maintained ideological distance from trade unions affiliated to the Left. This is why Sengupta's joining the Sangh assumes significance.
The new equation is being seen as an attempt by Singh's Sangh, which is predominant in BCCL mining areas, to gain foothold in Eastern Coalfields or ECL areas as well.
On the other hand, the alliance may help Sengupta, widow of late Forward Bloc leader Sushanto Sengupta, to counter the clout of Nirsa MLA Arup Chatterjee in trade union politics. Also, Chatterjee had defeated Sengupta in both the 2009 and 2014 general elections to become an MLA from Nirsa.
Son of veteran Left leader Gurudas Chatterjee, the Nirsa MLA is often perceived as the messiah of the common man for leading agitations in favour of land losers.
Jharia MLA Singh, however, scotched all speculation behind the merger of Agragami and his Sangh, underscoring that the primary objective was to launch "a joint struggle against exploitative policies of coal companies" and certain trade unions who act as "agents of such employers".
But, won't the new combine counter Chatterjee's sway in Nirsa? "The merger is not aimed at any individual," Singh reiterated.
Sengupta too avoided queries on the upshot of the equation. "Our unions work for a common cause. The merger will help launch a joint struggle for the rights of workers."
