Mamata Banerjee Biography

About Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee is the ninth Chief Minister of West Bengal, India. She is the first lady to hold the Chief Minister’s office in the state. On 19 May 2016, she became the only women CM to win two consecutive terms. The thumping victory came on the heels of several corruption charges during the end of her tenure as the eighth chief minister. In 1997, Banerjee had dissociated herself from the Indian National Congress and founded the All India Trinamool Congress, also known as TMC or AITMC.

Popularly referred to as "Didi" (elder sister) in Bengal, she created history in the state with a sweeping victory in the 2011 Legislative Assembly elections of West Bengal that uprooted the 34-year-long Left Front government led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). It was the world’s longest-serving democratically elected communist government in the world. Banerjee also holds the record of being the first woman Railway minister of the nation. She held the post twice. Other prominent posts held by her include Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Minister of Coal, Women and Child Development, and Department of Youth Affairs and Sports.

In May 2013, Mamata Banerjee was voted by the largest anti-corruption coalition of India, India Against Corruption, as the most honest politician of India. She has always maintained an austere and simple lifestyle. Mamata Banerjee is associated with several human and social rights organisations that promote welfare and development of poor children and women, provide the poor with free legal aid and organise health camps at different places for children and mothers.

Mamata Banerjee personal background

Mamata Banerjee was born on 5 January 1955 in Kolkata (erstwhile Calcutta), West Bengal, to a lower-middle-class Bengali family. Her father was Promileswar Banerjee and her mother was Smt. Gayatri Devi. She lost her father at the age of nine. She graduated in history from Jogomaya Devi College in Kolkata and also earned a master’s in Islamic History from Calcutta University. Banerjee has a degree in Education from Kolkata’s Shri Shikshayatan College and a law degree from Kolkata’s Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College. She is not married. Her artistic passion unfolds in self-taught painting and poetry. Her favourite pastimes include reading, writing and listening to music.

How did Mamata Banerjee enter politics?

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Mamata Banerjee’s entry into politics was at a young age when she was still in school. She joined the Congress (I) Party in the state and served in different posts both within the party and other political groups. Her rise up the political ladder in the 1970s was quick and she was made the Mahila Congress General Secretary from 1976 to 1980.

Political Journey of Mamata Banerjee

• 1976 - 1980: General Secretary of Mahila Congress (I) in West Bengal
• 1978-1981: Secretary of the District Congress Committee (Indira) of Calcutta South
• 1984: Elected as a member of the 8th Lok Sabha. Also became the General Secretary of the All India Youth Congress (I).
• 1985-1987: Member of the Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes
• 1987-1988: Member of Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, National Council of All India Youth Congress (I), Consultative Committee on Ministry of Home Affairs
• 1988: Executive Committee Member of the Congress Parliamentary Party
• 1989: Executive Committee Member of the Pradesh Congress Committee of the state
• 1990: West Bengal’s Youth Congress President
• 1991: Member of the 10th Lok Sabha (her second election to the LS)
• 1991-1993: Union Minister of State for Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, Human Resource Development, Women and Child Development
• 1993-1996: Member of the Committee on Home Affairs
• 1995-1996: Member of Committee on Public Accounts, Consultative Committee Member of the Ministry of Home Affairs
• 1996: Elected as a member of the 11th Lok Sabha (third time)
• 1996-1997:Member of Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Committee on Home Affairs
• 1997: Founded the All India Trinamool Congress and became its Chairperson
• 1998: Re-elected as a member of the 12th Lok Sabha (fourth time)
• 1998 – 1999: Chairperson of the Committee on Railways, Member of the Ministry of Home Affairs' Consultative Committee, Member of the General Purposes Committee
• 1998 – 1999: Chairperson of the Committee on Railways, Member of the Ministry of Home Affairs' Consultative Committee, Member of the General Purposes Committee
• 1999: Elected as member of the 13th Lok Sabha (fifth time); Appointed as Member of General Purposes Committee; Leader of the All India Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha
• 13 October 1999-16 March 2001: Union Cabinet Minister of Railways
• 2001-2003: Consultative Committee Member of the Ministry of Industries
• 8 September 2003-8 January 2004: Union Cabinet Minister but without any portfolio
• 9 January 2004-May 2004: Union Cabinet Minister of Coal & Mines
• 2004: Elected as a member of the 14th Lok Sabha for the sixth time. Also became a Member of Committee on Law & Justice, Public Grievances and Personnel.
• 5 August 2006: Member of Home Affairs Committee
• 2009: Elected as a member of the 15th Lok Sabha (seventh time)
• 31 May 2009-19 July 2011: Union Cabinet Minister for Railways; Leader of All India Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha of the Parliament
• 9 October 2011: Resigned from membership of the 15th Lok Sabha
• 20 May 2011: Became the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal.
• 19 May 2016: She became the Chief Minister of West Bengal for the second consecutive time.

Activities and Achievements of Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee successfully formed a new party after separating from the Congress in 1997. The new party, All India Trinamool Congress, subsequently, became the primary opposition party in West Bengal led by the CPI(M).

In 2002, after becoming the Railway Minister, she introduced new trains, made extension of a few express train services, increased frequency of some trains aimed at developing tourism and also proposed the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation.

She actively protested on 20 October 2005 against forcible land acquisition of farmers and agriculturists for industrialization in West Bengal by the then Left Front government led by Buddhadev Bhattacharya.

She introduced several non-stop Duronto Express trains that connected major cities, other passenger trains and ladies-special trains during her second term as Railway Minister, from 31 May 2009 to 19 July 2011.

The alliance of All India Trinamool Congress, the Indian National Congress and SUCI won 227 seats (TMC -184, INC – 42, SUCI – 1) in the 2011 Legislative Assembly Elections of West Bengal, resulting in a washout of the Left Front.

On 20 May 2011, she became the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal marking the end of the 34-year-long Left Front government.

Represented India in the U.N. General Assembly

• Represented the nation at the World Women Round Table Conference held at Russia as a woman parliamentarian.
• Attended World Youth Conference at Vietnam as a representative of India.
• Attended the Working Women Conference of ICFTU and ILO held at Kuala Lumpur.
• Observed dharna for 21 days in 1991 to restore human rights.
• Observed protests against deaths in lock-ups and atrocities on women in India, particularly in West Bengal.
• Mamata Banerjee is also credited with taking initiative to solve the longstanding Gorkhaland problem. On 2 September 2011, a semi-autonomous body called the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) was formed to administer Darjeeling. The GTA has financial, administrative and executive power, excluding legislative powers.

Books by Mamata Banerjee in Bengali

• Upalabdhi
• Maa-Mati-Manush
• Janatar Darbare
• Manavik
• Motherland
• Anubhuti
• Trinamool
• Janmaini
• Ashubho Shanket
• Jago Banglaa
• Ganotantre Lajja
• Andolaner Katha

Books by Mamata Banerjee in English

• Smile
• Slaughter of Democracy
• Struggle for Existence
• Dark Horizon

Awards won by Mamata Banerjee

The Time magazine in 2012 mentioned her among the 100 Most Influential People in the World The Bloomberg Markets magazine marked her as one of the "50 Most Influential People in the World of Finance" in September 2012.