cogitoergosum
2010-06-03 01:23:24 UTC
There Goes the Neighborhood: Sid Harth
http://navanavonmilita.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/there-goes-the-neighborhood-sid-harth/
Mamata Banerjee: Next stop, chief minister
TNN, Jun 3, 2010, 01.09am IST
Tags:Congress|CPM|Trinamool Congress|Mamata Banerjee|Bengal|Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee
KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee's message on Wednesday was unambigious --
come next year, and she would be in the chief minister's gaddi in
Kolkata. If there was any doubt about this because of Congress playing
hardball, she put them to rest when her party Trinamool Congress
emerged as the clear winner in West Bengal's civil polls -- billed as
the semi-final in the run-up to the assembly polls next year --
without an alliance with the Congress.
This means she has forced the Congress's hand -- it will have to come
to terms with Mamata on her terms. And the Bengal Congress leaders
will have to learn to play second fiddle to the mercurial Didi.
Trinamool Congress, which won 50% gram panchayats in the 2008 rural
elections, is now also the single largest party in urban Bengal,
including Kolkata. Congress can ignore Mamata at its own peril as that
would be risking a majority of the 42 seats in West Bengal in the next
election.
The jewel in Mamata's crown was her landslide win in Kolkata -- out of
the 141 wards her party bagged 95 -- a scoreline that perhaps even
took the fiesty Didi by surprise. The Kolkata verdict showed the
intensity of the anti-Left sentiment in urban Bengal. Coming after
Mamata's stunning performance in last year's Lok Sabha election, the
civil poll results clearly show that the momentum is with her. It can
be said that the Left's 33-year lien on West Bengal can at best be
extended by only one year -- that is, until the next polls.
Euphoric at the prospect of extending her winning streak into the 2011
assembly elections, Mamata called the civic poll victory "historic",
and demanded immediate assembly polls. "The Left Front has lost all
right to continue in power. It is a victory of ma-mati-manush (mother,
land and people). They have given a verdict in favour of political
change," she said after arriving from Delhi.
In chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's home turf, Jadavpur,
Trinamool has won eight of the 14 wards. The Left's tally in Kolkata
is down by 42 wards from the 2005 polls, and marginally up by 10 wards
against the 2009 Lok Sabha poll tally where it had a lead in only 22
wards. Bhattacharjee refused to take questions on the party's debacle
and left Writers' Buildings in a huff. The CPM headquarters at
Alimuddin Street was also deserted.
In the districts, Trinamool bagged 26 municipalities, the Left Front
17 (down from 54), and Congress seven, while 31 are "hung boards"
where Trinamool is likely to push ahead with the support of Congress.
In fact, this alliance in the "hung" municipalities also shows that
Mamata too can't ignore the Congress, even if the terms of trade swung
decisively in her favour on Wednesday.
In Kolkata, the Left faced a complete rout in Behala and was relegated
to a nominal presence in its erstwhile strongholds Jadavpur,
Tollygunge and Dhakuria. However, the "friendly fight" between
Congress and Trinamool felled some big guns from both parties.
Trinamool's Javed Khan -- Opposition leader in the previous Kolkata
Municipal Corporation and a mayoral candidate this time -- lost. So
did Rizwanur Rahman's brother Rukban, who fought on a TMC ticket.
Congress heavyweight Pradip Ghosh and his daughter-in-law Tania Ghosh
also bit the dust.
CPM was routed in its strongholds, like Salt Lake (where Trinamool
will form the first board since 1989), North and South 24-Parganas,
Nadia and parts of Hooghly -- just as the scene was in the 2009 Lok
Sabha polls.
In North 24-Parganas, the Left tally nose-dived to a meagre two. In
2005 it had won 19 of the 21 municipalities in the district. In
Burdwan, its erstwhile bastion, the Left won only two of the six
municipalities. Trinamool and Congress joined hands to vote out the
Left from CPM heavyweight Benoy Konar's home turf, Memari
municipality. The Left also lost Kalyani Municipality for the first
time.
Ranaghat was particularly embarrassing for the Congress. Here, Pradesh
Congress president Pranab Mukherjee had personally launched a high-
voltage campaign against the "renegades" who had switched to Trinamool
after winning on the hand symbol in 2005. The "renegades" still won.
The Left retained Jangipur, Pranab Mukherjee's Lok Sabha seat.
However, the scene in North Bengal is more of a status quo, with
Congress clinging on to the municipalities it had won in 2005. It
retained Jalpaiguri, Murshidabad, Kandi and Beldanga, but Trinamool
made impressive dents in Cooch Behar and Mathabhanga. In south Bengal,
Congress could defend its support bases Katwa and Daihat, but in
Kolkata it finished with 10 seats, down by five from 2005.
The mandate is clearly against the Left. But so is the writing on the
wall that Trinamool and Congress have to come together in 31
municipalities (nearly 40% of the boards).
What's also evident is that voters rejected the Left's cosying up to
the Congress to isolate Trinamool. CPM leaders from Bengal, led by the
chief minister himself, made overtures to the Congress soon after the
2009 debacle. In the run-up to the civic polls, Congress and CPM swore
at the Trinamool in the same voice.
But voters rejected the CPM's survival tactic of trying to divide the
opposition. In fact, the CPM gamesmanship backfired, helping
consolidate anti-Left voters, who opted for the best anti-Left
candidate, without giving a leeway to the ruling party in most wards.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Mamata-Banerjee-Next-stop-chief-minister/articleshow/6005131.cms
Trinamool demolishes Left, humbles Congress in WB civic polls
PTI, Jun 2, 2010, 06.53pm IST
Tags:Congress|Pranab Mukherjee|Banerjee|Trinamool Congress|Mamata
Banerjee|Kolkata Municipal Corporation|WB|west Bengal civic polls|
Buddadeb Bhattacharjee
KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress today inflicted a
crushing blow to the ruling Left front in the civic polls in West
Bengal, capturing the prestigious Kolkata Municipal Corporation(KMC)
and bagging 36 other municipalities in the "semi-finals" ahead of next
year's assembly elections.
Riding the winds of political change and improving on its performance
in the Lok Sabha polls and subsequent by-elections, the Trinamool
Congress also humbled ally Congress in its victory march.
The Trinamool, which had lost the KMC to the Left Front in 2005, swept
the 141-ward city corporation, winning 95 with the CPI(M) following
far behind at 33, Congress securing 10 and BJP three.
Among the 81 civic bodies spread across 16 of 19 districts for which
elections were held on Sunday, the Trinamool Congress won 36, the Left
Front 18 and the Congress six.
Besides this, the TC and Congress won in 17 municipalities, including
in Memari, Daihat, Kalna, where there was unofficial understanding
between the two parties.
Elections to four of the civic bodies in Bongaon, Taki Mathabhanga and
Kanchrapara led to hung boards.
The Left Front had been in power in 55 civic bodies Trinamool in eight
and Congress in 11 prior to the elections.
The Trinamool also wrested the Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) municipality
after a gap of 15 years.
Buoyed by the remarkable showing of her party, Banerjee demanded
immediate Assembly elections, saying that the CPI(M) has lost all
right to continue in power.
Chief Minister Buddadeb Bhattacharjee refused to take questions from
the media on the Left Front's poor showing.
The civic elections were also a prestige fight between Banerjee, the
Railway Minister, and Union Finance Minister and WBPCC chief Pranab
Mukherjee after the two sides failed to clinch a seat-sharing deal in
the KMC.
It was also to judge the Trinamool's own strength sans Congress prior
to next year's assembly elections.
In Delhi, Mukherjee congratulated Banerjee for her excellent
performance and accepted the failure of the Congress in not coming up
to expectations.
"I accept the failure of the Congress to perform up to the
expectations which we had. I accept the verdict of the people with all
humility," he said.
For the Left Front it was equally a test to ascertain whether it had
gained from the Trinamool and Congress going separate ways in the
civic elections.
Readers' opinions (5)
Srikant J. Pondicherry 02/06/2010 at 10:14 pm
This is a great victory for democratic forces of Trinamool. People are
slowly coming to terms that their salvation is in democracy and not in
socialism.
Agree (1)
Disagree (1)
Recommend (1)
Narendra KV Bangalore, India 02/06/2010 at 10:13 pm
Jyothi Basu ruled Bengal for over 2.5 decades on the strength of good
governance. Bengalis have given a quite tribute to Jyothi Basu in the
year of his death. Bengal needs change and good governance. I however
pity the voters, for they have a Hobson's choice. While CPI(M) is in
comatose and will immensely benefit from a spell in opposition, Mamata
is an unmitigated disaster as an administrator.
Agree (1)
Disagree (1)
Recommend (1)
Padam Singh Salisbury, UK 02/06/2010 at 10:08 pm
Former leaders of Bengal like Surendranath Banerjea, the Grand Old Man
of Bengal to Dr BC Roy who told his people " My young friends, you are
soldiers in the battle of freedom-freedom from want, fear, ignorance,
frustration and helplessness. By a dint of hard work for the country,
rendered in a spirit of selfless service, may you march ahead with
hope and courage... ."
Agree (1)
Disagree (0)
Recommend (1)
friend of change NJ 02/06/2010 at 09:57 pm
Wb CM should resign immediately
Agree (1)
Disagree (1)
Recommend (1)
Rana Mumbai 02/06/2010 at 09:51 pm
Winning election is one thing and delivering is altogether a different
matter. If Left and Cong want to play long, let her win (not that they
can stop her from winning) the assembly election. Like left all she
can do is stop development, promise big but she is not an
administrator who will deliver.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Trinamool-demolishes-Left-humbles-Congress-in-WB-civic-polls/articleshow/6003946.cms
Breaking News:Pranab congratulates Mamata for 'excellent performance'
IANS, Jun 2, 2010, 12.57pm IST
Tags:Congress|Pranab Mukherjee|Trinamool Congress|Mamata Banerjee|
Kolkata Municipal Corporation|west Bengal civic polls
NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader and Union Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee Wednesday congratulated Trinamool Congress chief and Railway
Minister Mamata Banerjee for the "excellent performance" of her party
in the West Bengal civic polls.
Pranab, who is also the chief of the Congress in the state, accepted
the failure of his party in the elections held to 81 municipal bodies,
including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), ahead of next
year's crucial assembly polls.
"I would like to congratulate Mamata Banerjee for her excellent
performance," Mukherjee said, accepting that the Congress has done
"badly" in the elections.
"I accept the verdict of the people," Mukherjee said.
The Trinamool Congress won the KMC elections with a huge margin. The
initial results of other municipal corporations across the state also
indicate a victory for the party.
The elections were held a year after the Lok Sabha polls that saw the
Trinamool Congress-Congress combine along with the Socialist Unity
Centre of India decimate the ruling Left Front.
But the political equations have substantially changed this time
around. The Trinamool Congress and the Congress failed to clinch a
seat-sharing deal.
Readers' opinions (2)
Agree
freddie uk 02/06/2010 at 05:00 pm
One Bengali praises another Bengali
Agree (1)
Deshbandhu Sing Kolkotta 02/06/2010 at 05:55 pm
Shameless the firstnamed Bengali who would have been kicked out by
Netaji for being hypocr and a fraud
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Pranab-congratulates-Mamata-for-excellent-performance/articleshow/6002465.cms
Advantage Mamata
Jun 3, 2010, 12.00am IST
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Tags:Congress|CPM|Mamata|Trinamul|municipal election
The West Bengal municipal election results are likely to impact
political equations at the Centre and in the state. The Trinamul
Congress seems to have emerged the winner while the Left Front has
failed to recover the ground it lost ahead of the 2009 parliamentary
election.
Trinamul can claim to have consolidated the anti-incumbency sentiment
in the state and could effectively challenge the Left Front, which has
held office in the state for more than three decades, in the assembly
polls scheduled for next year.
The implications of this trend are many. The Congress, which contested
the civic poll on its own, has failed to make significant gains.
Clearly, it needs a strong partner like the Trinamul to win seats in
Bengal. But the Trinamul will need the Congress too. Mamata shouldn't
construe the election result as a reason to drive too hard a bargain
with the Congress. It is likely that Mamata would now concentrate even
more on preparing her party for the assembly election at the cost of
her ministerial duties.
Her preoccupation with West Bengal politics has crippled the
functioning of the railway ministry. The UPA leadership should ask her
to take a call on the matter. She could hand over the Railways to a
Trinamul nominee and focus on state politics if that's her
preference.
Buoyed by the civic poll results, Mamata would be tempted to go it
alone in the assembly election. The Trinamul has surged ahead of the
Congress as the main opposition party in the state, but does it have
the organisational spread and strength to take on the Left single-
handedly?
The winds of change are visible in West Bengal. However, a combined
opposition grouping of the Trinamul and the Congress is better placed
to ride the wind. That the Left recognises this and wants to prevent a
consolidation of opposition forces is evident from the overtures made
by the CPM to the Congress.
There are leaders within the Congress as well who believe that the CPM
will make for a better ally. Mamata's unpredictable temperament makes
her a difficult partner.
Her politics is a mix of populism and demagoguery while the CPM comes
with a bag of ideological fixations, which would hinder the UPA
government's foreign policy initiatives and economic reforms agenda.
There are far too many imponderables to predict how the political
climate could change. Hopefully, the Congress will keep in mind
stability and policymaking continuity at the Centre when it chooses
allies.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Home/Opinion/Edit-Page/Advantage-Mamata/articleshow/6004232.cms
Brave Front is all that's Left
TNN, Jun 3, 2010, 01.09am IST
Tags:Congress|West Bengal|CPM|Mamata|Red Fort|Sitaram Yechury
NEW DELHI: The municipal poll results have dealt another body blow to
CPM, confirming the perception that the party is on its way to lose
the Red Fort of West Bengal.
Even though spokespersons of CPM and CPI put up a brave front, it is
being recognized that Mamata Banerjee's win in the third consecutive
match-up is seen as a clear indication that the political momentum is
with her and may sweep her into Writers' Building.
When politburo member Sitaram Yechury finally appeared before the
media, heunderlined that the contests were limited to urban areas
which make up for 17% of West Bengal. He rejected Trinamool's demand
to bring forward the assembly elections scheduled next year.
But the fact is that, as the 2008 panchayat polls showed, Trinamool
has dented what was considered to be the impregnable bastion of Left
in rural Bengal.
While CPM has lost and won power frequently in Kerala since 1957, it
defied the law of averages by not ceding power even once since 1977
when it stunned itself by winning the assembly polls. Its immunity to
anti-incumbency in West Bengal brought in advantages across the
country -- an assured strength in Parliament and a profile that was
disproportionately outsized.
It has negative consequences too. Control over West Bengal bred
complacency, helping those who wanted to paper over what successive
party documents called "stagnation" in the north.
As it happens, the bastion has developed alarming cracks just when the
CPM appeared to be on a slippery slope in the other party-ruled state
of Kerala as well. A double whammy will be a huge setback to the party
which defied the decline of the Communist movement across the globe to
command clout.
The unfolding scenario looked inconceivable just over two years ago
when the Left, commanding an all-time high of 62 seats in Lok Sabha,
was seen as the real power at the Dilli Darbar. It unsparingly used
its leaverage with UPA-1 to organize concessions -- ranging from
policy tweaks to appointments.
The defeat may also encourage those within who have said that Prakash
Karat's dogged anti-Americanism drove the Congress into a partnership
with Mamata, giving rise to a powerful challenge.
Talking to the media, Yechury refrained from making excuses. "Anti-
left votes get consolidated even without a mahajot," he said. The
politburo member, however, found a silver lining in the verdict as he
pointed out that Left's vote percentage had shown a marginal
improvement of over 4% from the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. "Our vote
percentage has shown marginal improvement of over 4% from last Lok
Sabha elections. It shows that the trend seen in the Lok Sabha
elections has been arrested but not reversed," he said.
Saying that election to 81 civic bodies involved only 17% of the urban
population of the state, he argued that Wednesday's verdict not be
seen as a conclusive one. He also disagreed that it was a semi-final.
"The final will also be played by the same teams," he said.
CPI leader D Raja said Left should introspect and take necessary steps
before next year's assembly election. CPM politburo already has a pre-
scheduled meeting from Saturday in which the rout will be discussed
threadbare. It is unlikely that heads will roll at this stage. "We did
not have high hopes from this election. In many ways, the result has
shown both the party and the government need to work together," a
source said.
Among factors that the party is going to analyse in detail is the way
Muslims voted in the civic polls. CPM had hoped that the state
government's recent decision to give reservation to Muslims in jobs
will have a positive impact. "The state government is implementing
reservation very seriously. We expect it will have an impact during
the assembly election," the source said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Brave-Front-is-all-thats-Left/articleshow/6005155.cms
Mamata Banerjee to get more clout in Delhi
Mohua Chatterjee, TNN, Jun 3, 2010, 12.11am IST
Tags:Sonia Gandhi|Congress|West Bengal|TMC|Mamata Banerjee
NEW DELHI: Mamata Banerjee's big victory in Kolkata and her
considerable gains elsewhere in West Bengal in the civic polls may
have altered equations to her advantage within the UPA, but it's also
clear that the Trinamool Congress chief too needs Congress by her side
to ensure a clear victory in the assembly elections in 2011.
Mamata's bargaining power with Congress is sure to go up with her
increased strength in the state. It is already evident with the Centre
giving in to the railway minister's demands and ordering a CBI probe
into the Jhargram train mishap even though the state government did
not want it.
But the message for Didi lies in the hung mandate in 31 of the 81
municipalities that went to polls on May 30. A clear win could have
come their way in these municipalities if Congress and TMC had allied
to keep the Left out of the picture. So, Mamata will also have to keep
to the coalition dharma, whether it is for seat sharing in 2011 or as
part of the UPA government. The attempt on both ends will be to not
ruffle feathers before the assembly polls next year.
As the state's PCC chief, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, before
leaving for the G20 meet in Busan on Wednesday night, submitted a
report to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi stating that compared to the
number of munipalities that Congress and TMC have won on their own
respectively, the number of hung houses were much more at 31. TMC has
made it to 24 of the 81 municipalities and Congress has won seven. The
Left Front has won only 18.
Also, with Left losing ground, it is no longer a viable option for
Congress as an alliance partner. In that situation, it has to be a
partnership with Mamata to keep the Left out.
It is likely that more of her demands will be heeded by the Congress-
led Centre as 2011 draws closer. That the need for each other's
partnership was "mutual" was also clear from Mamata's statement
saying, "I am part of the UPA... I have no problems with Congress
party except for some local leaders." The indication was clear from
Mamata's claim that her party will be able to cobble up a board in at
least 23 of the 31 municipalities where there is a hung mandate. Her
hint was towards a post-poll tie-up with Congress to form the civic
boards.
It was not without a thought that Mukherjee wasted no time in
congratulating Mamata for her big victory in Kolkata and "doing well
in the districts". The Congress leader's message was loud and clear
that there are no more ego issues in the way of the allies reuniting
after they had parted ways before the civic polls as they could not
agree on seat sharing.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Mamata-Banerjee-to-get-more-clout-in-Delhi/articleshow/6005174.cms
I didn't term Maoists as 'Gandhians with guns': Arundhati Roy
PTI, Jun 3, 2010, 01.02am IST
Tags:Arundhati Roy|Maoists|Gandhians with guns
MUMBAI: Noted writer and Naxal sympathiser Arundhati Roy on Wednesday
clarified that she never termed Maoists as 'Gandhians with guns'.
"I never called them Gandhians with guns. It was a blurb carried by a
magazine. What I meant was that they (Naxals) are more Gandhian than
any other Gandhian in their consumption pattern...their lifestyle,
which is in stark contrast to their violent means of resistance," said
the 48-year-old Booker Prize winner.
Arundhati drew a lot of flak for the reported comments, especially
after the Dantewada Naxal attack claiming lives of 76 security
personnel for calling Naxals as 'Gandhians with guns'.
"I in fact have also written a letter in the next issue of the same
magazine which carried my article, 'Walking With The Comrades'
clarifying my point and stand, she said addressing a lecture 'The War
on People' organised by the Committee for Protection of Democratic
Rights here on Wednesday.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/I-didnt-term-Maoists-as-Gandhians-with-guns-Arundhati-Roy/articleshow/6005215.cms
Page last updated at 14:02 GMT, Sunday, 17 May 2009 15:02 UK
Bastion of Indian communism crumbles
The Trinamul Congress and Congress alliance swept West Bengal
For decades it was a fortress for the Left, but now Indian voters have
radically reshaped the politics of West Bengal. The BBC's Subhir
Bhaumik, in Calcutta, considers where it all went wrong for a once
untouchable political force.
Anti-incumbency has finally caught up with the ruling Left coalition
in the Indian state of West Bengal, which has been in power for 32
years.
On Saturday, the coalition could only manage to win 15 of the state's
42 parliament seats.
The opposition alliance of Trinamul Congress and Congress swept the
thickly-populated state, where the Leftists had pioneered land reforms
and institutionalised local self-government to build up what appeared,
until not so long ago, an unbeatable political support base with the
rural poor at its core.
The fiercely anti-Left Trinamuls won 19, the Congress won five and a
smaller socialist ally won one seat.
Early signals
Many, like political analyst Ranabir Sammadar of the Calcutta Research
Group, had seen this coming.
Only three years ago, the Left won a resounding victory in the state
assembly polls and looked unbeatable
Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhuri
Bengal psephologist
"The signs of erosion in the Left support base was becoming evident
over the last three years. First, there was widespread rioting against
the public distribution shops manned by Leftist cronies throughout
rural Bengal," he said.
"Then there was the huge unrest against the Left's efforts to take
over fertile croplands for setting up industry. Finally, when the Left
lost nearly 30% of seats in last year's village council elections, it
was clear that the slide had started."
But analysts are stunned by the speed with which this happened.
Mamata Banerji: Trinamul leader's austere lifestyle plays well with
poor
"Only three years ago, the Left won a resounding victory in the state
assembly polls and looked unbeatable," says Sabyasachi Basu Ray
Chaudhuri, Bengal's leading psephologist.
"And now they have lost more than 53% of their parliament seats.
Though detailed statistics are not available, a four-to-five per cent
swing would be needed to make this [happen]."
Mr Chaudhuri says the Left failed to retain its support base among the
rural poor who felt threatened by the government's cropland takeover
plans , while it failed to gain support from the urban voters for its
plans to rapidly industrialise the state.
Battered image
But interestingly, the Trinamul Congress upset the Left by picking on
issues once championed by the Left itself.
The whole state saw the face of Red Terror for the first time in
three decades and that turned even the urban middle class against
them
Ashis Ghose
Bengal Left-watcher
"We are the true Leftists, they are fakes ," thundered the Trinamul
chief Mamata Banerji in one rally after another.
Her loud campaign against the takeover of croplands - that drove the
"Nano" small car project out of the state - won her countless
supporters among the rural poor and middle peasantry who once solidly
backed the Left coalition, specially the Communist Party of India
(Marxist) or CPI(M) that leads it.
Some say the use of organised muscle-power by the CPI(M) to take over
the fertile croplands, especially in the embattled southern enclave of
Nandigram, dented the party's pro-poor image.
"The police firing that killed 14 peasants at Nandigram two years ago,
the terror struck by armed CPI(M) cadres on rows and rows of
motorcycles donning red neck scarves, and the defence of peasants by
the opposition supporters were all captured live on television, " says
Bengal Left-watcher Ashis Ghose.
"The whole state saw the face of Red Terror for the first time in
three decades and that turned even the urban middle class against
them."
Even the highly-respected Bengali intelligentsia - some of India's
best writers, playwrights, poets , film-makers and artists - turned
against the Left coalition and took to the streets demanding political
change.
The Nano, the world's cheapest car, was to have been made in West
Bengal
"In Bengal, the intelligentsia commands huge respect. They are
generally anti-establishment and have been largely with the Left, but
no longer ," says Basu Ray Chaudhuri.
Some key figures like Debabrata Banerji - who, as a serving bureaucrat
had masterminded the Left-driven land reforms - have also backed the
Trinamul Congress, because they are convinced that the Left is no
longer for the poor and the down-trodden.
'Self-seekers abound'
It seems the wheel has come full circle in West Bengal with political
parties changing roles: The Left appearing to be pro-capital in its
drive for rapid industrialisation, the Trinamuls appearing to be pro-
poor in their campaign to protect croplands from forcible takeovers.
The present crop of our leaders have backgrounds in student politics,
the type who have made it to the party politburo from university
coffee-houses in a few years
Unnamed CPI(M) figure
Add to that Mamata's austere personal lifestyle, which makes a great
draw among the poor.
On the day of the election, hard-core Left supporter Ashis Santra of
Uluberia township near Calcutta told the BBC: "Mamata Banerji's
politics is dangerous, but none can fault her on integrity, commitment
and her lifestyle."
Over the years, the CPI(M)'s party organisation - and that of other
Left parties - has also weakened.
"Too many self-seekers have entered the party. Our numbers have
increased, the quality of membership has not," admits Birnan Bose,
CPI(M) state party secretary and Left Front chairman.
But many party supporters say the younger wave of leaders who have
taken over the running of the party lack the organisational ability
and the political acumen of veterans like former chief minister Jyoti
Basu and the late party secretary, Anil Biswas - and that, they say,
cost the party dear in moments of crisis.
"The present crop of our leaders have backgrounds in student politics,
the type who have made it to the party politburo from university
coffee-houses in a few years," said a CPI(M) state-level leader who
runs a party publication.
"They lack the experience and resilience to tackle a tough political
situation and they don't understand the peasantry or the working
classes," said the official, who did not wished to be named.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8054289.stm
West Bengal: Communists paying for their bad Karma
September 01, 2008
"To the man thinking about the objects arises attachment, from
attachment arises longing; and from longing arises anger. From anger
comes delusion; and from delusion loss of memory; from loss of memory,
the ruin of discrimination; and on the ruin of discrimination, he
perishes" - Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita
Karma theory has been the traditional Indian way of rationalising the
irrational, explaining the inexplicable. Simply put, it is the
nature's way of effectuating a global restitution system. It
correlates all our actions to its final consequences. Sometimes, this
manifests after several generations, sometimes the very next day.
Further, it seeks to explain the continuous link life has with this
world prior to our birth and after we cease to exist. It forces one to
be considerate in their actions lest their deeds do not recoil on them
or on their future generations. In this connection Concise Oxford
Dictionary of Current English defines it as the "sum of person's
actions in one of his successive states of existence, viewed as
deciding his fate for the next."
All these can simply be explained as an extension the Newtonian laws
of physics and his explanation of cause and effect on physical action
into life. In effect, it concludes that by all our action we create a
cause, which in time will bear its corresponding effects.
One may be equally familiar with the modern chaos theory too � that
which seeks to explain how a butterfly flapping its wings in Peru
could cause devastating typhoons across Pacific Ocean in distant Japan
[Images]. Or how the July 2005 nuclear agreement between India and US
by a series of interconnected events led to the installation of Sibu
Soren as chief minister of Jharkhand last week. Chaos theory and Karma
theory are of the same genre.
Interestingly, what is true for individuals seems to be applicable to
political parties now. The recent happenings at West Bengal only seem
to fortify the view that our Communists are reaping what they had sown
over the past three decades there. Karma theory in full work against
the Communists!
Politics of Bandhs and its consequences
To understand what has been stated it is pertinent to delve into the
history of the Communist movement in West Bengal during the past three
decades since they came to power in the mid-seventies in order to
understand their Karma.
Readers may recall that in even in the pre-independence era, Kolkata -
then Calcutta - was a pride of India and the engine of our
independence movement. It is often remarked that whatever Bengal
thought or did, the rest of India followed. And post independence too,
Bengal continued to dominate our collective thinking in politics as
much as in economics.
It was natural given the levels of intellectualism that prevailed then
and coupled with the industrial climate, many business houses from
distant Marwar [Images] in Rajasthan and even a few MNCs had their
head offices in Kolkata.
But by the late seventies things changed dramatically after the advent
of the Communists at the helm of affairs of the state. By a series of
anti-industry policy, intimidation, pro labour approach, bandhs
(general strikes) and gheraos (encircling a superior), West Bengal was
crippled within a few years. The Frankenstein monster was well and
truly unleashed.
That surely put Kolkatha on the international map, but as a poor city
and one that was renowned world over for its penury. And this brought
aid to the city, not investments. Readers may note that international
aid and foreign investments are alternatives � one cannot have the
luxury of both.
Given this scenario, leave alone FDI, even domestic investments was
hard to come by. Worse still, the state witnessed a flight of capital
for the past several decades. After all, people invest while there is
prosperity, not where there is self-proclaimed poverty, state
sponsored industrial unrest and of course a hostile government.
Similarly "City of Joy" too by its very portrayal of the city did not
bring joy to this city, though it brought it international acclaim. It
is indeed surprising the people of Bengal � one of the most
intelligent in the entire country � did not foresee the economic
consequences of all these negative representation.
The net effect was that by early eighties, the only international
organisation operating from Kolkatha by then was the Missionaries of
Charity of Mother Teresa. Others, for obvious economic, political and
strategic reasons, had fled.
Nevertheless, all this went very well with the Communists, the
specialists in poverty economics.
In the process a new culture had come to play in Bengal � a culture of
lawlessness, indiscipline and of course disruptive behaviour.
Naturally, this had a tremendous negative impact on investment climate
of the state. Where else in the world do you find the government
abdicating its constitutional responsibility through a bandh and
resume its responsibility the next day as if nothing had happened in
the interregnum?
And this happens in West Bengal virtually every other day. And if the
Communists backed by the government do not call for a bandh the
opposition would do. It would seem that the state and its people are
perennially on dissent � sometimes with a cause, sometimes without but
never without a pause.
The extent of the damage caused to the collective psyche of the state
can be gauged by the fact that on the entry of some IT industries,
members of the political parties, unused as they were to deal only
with white collar employees, began to debate as to how to effectuate
strikes in such business places!
The leopards' spots are infectious
Naturally, over a period of time the state became a laggard in every
field, especially in the socio-economic areas when compared to the
rest of the country. No wonder, Jyoti Basu, the former chief minister
of West Bengal is often compared to Lord Shiva [Images] - the
destroyer of investment, capital and the Bourgeois.
By the early part of this decade, the Communists too had realised the
futility and folly of their approach. Surely their economic policies
needed a revisit. And that was left to the eternal credit of Buddhadeb
Bhattacharya, the incumbent chief minister of Bengal to effectuate the
Left's turn "U" turn. In turn, the chief minister began to play Brahma
� the creator of investment, capital and Bourgeois in Bengal all over
once again � exemplified by the invitation to the Tata group to set up
their Nano plant in Singur.
Given their track record, it is indeed difficult to fathom that a
leopard can even change its spots. No wonder despite the repeated
assurances of the chief minister -- no less -- the Communist Party
seems to be in its perpetual state of war with the government, little
realising that it is actually in power in the state.
What else would explain the reported comment of the chief minister as
opposing such disruptive practices as bandhs inviting a sharp rebuke
from the party instantly and censuring him publicly last week? Surely
the leopard cannot change its spots.
But this leopard's spots seem to be infectious. Strangely opposition
seems to have come to have realised that the only way of toppling the
Communist government in West Bengal is to adopt their own wretched
practices of bandhs, disruptions and lawlessness.
Naturally, as Mamata Banerjee is paying in their own coin in Singur to
the Communists, it is a pity that the people of state are the losers.
When Karma theory is at work, like all other laws of nature, it
carries no sympathy. Neither does it discriminate amongst its
victims.
One may also recall that the Leftists have often encouraged, albeit
tacitly, illegal migration from across the border from Bangladesh in
order to bolster their vote bank. Now press reports as well as some of
my friends from the state suggest that the Nandigram [Images] movement
is in fact shepherded by such illegal migrants.
What else would explain the simultaneous flare-up in Kolkata on
Taslima Nasreen [Images], the Bangladeshi author, now in exile in
India and the operation in Nandigram by the state's police in November
2007? Surely, the links are too obvious to be missed.
Obviously, the Leftists are caught in a bind. If they use force
against these protestors they would be doomed in the next elections.
If they don't, surely Tata may exit Singur and relocate their Nano
plant elsewhere, which means economic doom for the state.
Either way, it is not a happy situation for the Communists. After-all
the farmers (who by the land reforms carried on by the Communists) and
the illegal migrants from Bangladesh (for the reasons stated above)
are perhaps some of the very few beneficiaries of the three decades
long Communist rule in West Bengal.
Strangely, it is this vote bank of the Communists that is endangered
by the successive events in Singur and Nandigram. The opposition
realises that it can go for the jugular. Surely, they would intensify
their protests hoping to fish successfully in troubled waters. A state
used to such mass indiscipline is perhaps damned in the medium-term.
And this where the quote of Lord Krishna made at the outset becomes
relevant. The Communists, by their antagonistic approach always run a
risk of being overwhelmed by a downward spiral. The Leftists can be
bettered by ultras, ultras by Naxalites [Images], Naxals by Maoists,
Maoists by extremists and extremists by terrorists. And that is what
is happening in West Bengal � the Karma of Communists is catching with
them.
The author is a Chennai based Chartered Accountant. He can be
contacted at ***@rediffmail.com
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Fascism reigns supreme in Nandigram
Indrani Roy Mitra in Nandigram | May 11, 2008 16:16 IST
Last Updated: May 12, 2008 09:29 IST
A 32-year-old woman from Kanungopada could not control her tears as
she blurted out, "We have not gone to cast our votes. We are simply
not allowed to do that. Last night, hundreds of Communist Party of
India-Marxist cadres from Khejuri came to our place and threatened us
with widowhood if we cast our votes.
In fact, they came with white dhotis and said you would have to wear
it all your life if you voice your opinion," the woman said. She then
rolled up her sari to show how she was beaten up by CPI-M loyalists a
few days ago.
She did not disclose her name, nor did she allow us to take her
photograph. "Didi, I want to live a little longer," she reasoned as
her neighbour kept a strict vigil so that no CPI-M loyalist was around
to eavesdrop on the conversation.
The official figure for the Nandigram [Images] panchayat election
stated that 40 per cent polling was conducted till 1 pm on Sunday.
In Kanungopada, only 200 families out of 900 were 'allowed' to vote.
Those who voted were known CPI-M supporters.
The woman's fears could be seen relected in the eyes of Shobhon Bijli
of Adhikaripada who rushed to the local Central Reserve Police Force
camp to help rescue his father Sudhin Bijli, who had allegedly been
abducted by CPI-M goons on Sunday morning.
The boy's pleas fell on deaf ears of the policemen around, which is
when he thought of approaching the CRPF.
The police have a very 'weird' role in Nandigram. They have all the
power or no power at all, whatever the circumstances.
"My head hangs in shame to think that I belong to West Bengal police,"
said a senior police inspector in charge of a polling booth in
Gokulnagar area. "We would not have had this much peace in Nadigram if
CRPF DIG Alok Raj and his team were not here. Prior to their arrival,
our survival was at stake," the inspector said.
He said what is happening in Nandigram is shameful for entire
humanity. "It pains me to see colleagues of mine unleashing terrror,"
the inspector added.
The situation in Nandigram is no less peaceful, infomed Alok Raj
barring stary incidents of violence and booth-jamming.
Raj became a hero to the residents of Nandigram overnight as they
started looking up to him as their saviour.
The CPI-M men, obviously, do not like him and an FIR was lodged
against him on Sunday morning charging him with molesting a rural
woman during a routine search, but Raj was undetered.
While speaking to rediff.com on phone he said he would go to court if
need be to challege the FIR.
Incidentally, he had been threatended by local CPI-M MP Laxman Seth
of dire consequences if he interefered with the polling process.
All these threats and violence by the CPI-M send out a clear signal:
They are insecure and scared, as a physician obervering polling at
Nandigram puts it.
These atrocities are not going down well even with hardcore CPI-M
activists. The day is not far when we will find the so called CPI-M
politicans crossing floors to topple the government. We all are
waiting eagerly for that to happen.
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CPI-M supporters demand security
WB govt fears fresh violence in Nandigram
Outsiders were involved in Nandigram violence
March 19, 2007
Nandigram outcry: Will Bengal CM resign?
Nandigram: Parliament stalled again
WB govt stops land acquisition
Nandigram: Communists explain stand
March 18, 2007
Opposition to stall Parliament again over Nandigram
Nandigram probe progressing well: CBI
March 17, 2007
West Bengal govt under threat
Advani equates Nandigram incident to Jallianwallah Bagh
CBI arrests 10 in Nandigram, arms seized
Left Front govt to stop land acquisition in Nandigram
March 16, 2007
RSP may pull out of West Bengal govt
WB bandh: Buses torched, officials beaten up
CBI team begins Nandigram probe
Police camps attacked in Nandigram
Nandigram tense but under control: Patil
Tata project site in Singur attacked
March 15, 2007
What Buddhadeb says on Nandigram violence
Mamata returns to Kolkata
Nandigram: 'I fled but my brother is missing'
Advani to lead NDA delegation to Nandigram
Police were provoked to fire in Nandigram: WB govt
We're ready for CBI probe into Nandigram: CPM
Nandigram: Mamata injured in stone-pelting; hospitalised
Calcutta High Court asks CBI to probe Nandigram firing
Amidst furore over Nandigram, LS and RS adjourned
Nandigram: Centre gets report from WB govt
Nandigram: Trouble erupts again; toll rises to 14
Advani speaks to PM about Nandigram violence
March 14, 2007
Scribes covering Nandigram violence assaulted
Cong seeks President's Rule in West Bengal
CPI-M blames TC for Nandigram violence
TC calls for Bengal strike on Friday over Nandigram violence
6 killed, several injured in Nandigram violence
March 13, 2007
Police not entering Nandigram area
February 18, 2007
Bombs hurled, people beaten up in Nandigram
February 17, 2007
Fresh trouble at Nandigram, houses set ablaze
February 12, 2007
Protests rage in Nandigram
February 07, 2007
Nandigram: Rival parties take out processions
January 10, 2007
Calm prevails in Nandigram
January 09, 2007
CPI-M leader shot dead in West Bengal
Police sets up camp in Nandigram
NDA to discuss Nandigram issue
January 08, 2007
Peace process begins at Nandigram: Govt
Bengal bandh hits normal life, 350 arrested
WB: Villagers flee Nandigram
Bengal: Villages around Nandigram remain inaccessible
January 07, 2007
Six killed in Nandigram violence
...and I am Sid Harth
http://navanavonmilita.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/there-goes-the-neighborhood-sid-harth/
Mamata Banerjee: Next stop, chief minister
TNN, Jun 3, 2010, 01.09am IST
Tags:Congress|CPM|Trinamool Congress|Mamata Banerjee|Bengal|Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee
KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee's message on Wednesday was unambigious --
come next year, and she would be in the chief minister's gaddi in
Kolkata. If there was any doubt about this because of Congress playing
hardball, she put them to rest when her party Trinamool Congress
emerged as the clear winner in West Bengal's civil polls -- billed as
the semi-final in the run-up to the assembly polls next year --
without an alliance with the Congress.
This means she has forced the Congress's hand -- it will have to come
to terms with Mamata on her terms. And the Bengal Congress leaders
will have to learn to play second fiddle to the mercurial Didi.
Trinamool Congress, which won 50% gram panchayats in the 2008 rural
elections, is now also the single largest party in urban Bengal,
including Kolkata. Congress can ignore Mamata at its own peril as that
would be risking a majority of the 42 seats in West Bengal in the next
election.
The jewel in Mamata's crown was her landslide win in Kolkata -- out of
the 141 wards her party bagged 95 -- a scoreline that perhaps even
took the fiesty Didi by surprise. The Kolkata verdict showed the
intensity of the anti-Left sentiment in urban Bengal. Coming after
Mamata's stunning performance in last year's Lok Sabha election, the
civil poll results clearly show that the momentum is with her. It can
be said that the Left's 33-year lien on West Bengal can at best be
extended by only one year -- that is, until the next polls.
Euphoric at the prospect of extending her winning streak into the 2011
assembly elections, Mamata called the civic poll victory "historic",
and demanded immediate assembly polls. "The Left Front has lost all
right to continue in power. It is a victory of ma-mati-manush (mother,
land and people). They have given a verdict in favour of political
change," she said after arriving from Delhi.
In chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's home turf, Jadavpur,
Trinamool has won eight of the 14 wards. The Left's tally in Kolkata
is down by 42 wards from the 2005 polls, and marginally up by 10 wards
against the 2009 Lok Sabha poll tally where it had a lead in only 22
wards. Bhattacharjee refused to take questions on the party's debacle
and left Writers' Buildings in a huff. The CPM headquarters at
Alimuddin Street was also deserted.
In the districts, Trinamool bagged 26 municipalities, the Left Front
17 (down from 54), and Congress seven, while 31 are "hung boards"
where Trinamool is likely to push ahead with the support of Congress.
In fact, this alliance in the "hung" municipalities also shows that
Mamata too can't ignore the Congress, even if the terms of trade swung
decisively in her favour on Wednesday.
In Kolkata, the Left faced a complete rout in Behala and was relegated
to a nominal presence in its erstwhile strongholds Jadavpur,
Tollygunge and Dhakuria. However, the "friendly fight" between
Congress and Trinamool felled some big guns from both parties.
Trinamool's Javed Khan -- Opposition leader in the previous Kolkata
Municipal Corporation and a mayoral candidate this time -- lost. So
did Rizwanur Rahman's brother Rukban, who fought on a TMC ticket.
Congress heavyweight Pradip Ghosh and his daughter-in-law Tania Ghosh
also bit the dust.
CPM was routed in its strongholds, like Salt Lake (where Trinamool
will form the first board since 1989), North and South 24-Parganas,
Nadia and parts of Hooghly -- just as the scene was in the 2009 Lok
Sabha polls.
In North 24-Parganas, the Left tally nose-dived to a meagre two. In
2005 it had won 19 of the 21 municipalities in the district. In
Burdwan, its erstwhile bastion, the Left won only two of the six
municipalities. Trinamool and Congress joined hands to vote out the
Left from CPM heavyweight Benoy Konar's home turf, Memari
municipality. The Left also lost Kalyani Municipality for the first
time.
Ranaghat was particularly embarrassing for the Congress. Here, Pradesh
Congress president Pranab Mukherjee had personally launched a high-
voltage campaign against the "renegades" who had switched to Trinamool
after winning on the hand symbol in 2005. The "renegades" still won.
The Left retained Jangipur, Pranab Mukherjee's Lok Sabha seat.
However, the scene in North Bengal is more of a status quo, with
Congress clinging on to the municipalities it had won in 2005. It
retained Jalpaiguri, Murshidabad, Kandi and Beldanga, but Trinamool
made impressive dents in Cooch Behar and Mathabhanga. In south Bengal,
Congress could defend its support bases Katwa and Daihat, but in
Kolkata it finished with 10 seats, down by five from 2005.
The mandate is clearly against the Left. But so is the writing on the
wall that Trinamool and Congress have to come together in 31
municipalities (nearly 40% of the boards).
What's also evident is that voters rejected the Left's cosying up to
the Congress to isolate Trinamool. CPM leaders from Bengal, led by the
chief minister himself, made overtures to the Congress soon after the
2009 debacle. In the run-up to the civic polls, Congress and CPM swore
at the Trinamool in the same voice.
But voters rejected the CPM's survival tactic of trying to divide the
opposition. In fact, the CPM gamesmanship backfired, helping
consolidate anti-Left voters, who opted for the best anti-Left
candidate, without giving a leeway to the ruling party in most wards.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Mamata-Banerjee-Next-stop-chief-minister/articleshow/6005131.cms
Trinamool demolishes Left, humbles Congress in WB civic polls
PTI, Jun 2, 2010, 06.53pm IST
Tags:Congress|Pranab Mukherjee|Banerjee|Trinamool Congress|Mamata
Banerjee|Kolkata Municipal Corporation|WB|west Bengal civic polls|
Buddadeb Bhattacharjee
KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress today inflicted a
crushing blow to the ruling Left front in the civic polls in West
Bengal, capturing the prestigious Kolkata Municipal Corporation(KMC)
and bagging 36 other municipalities in the "semi-finals" ahead of next
year's assembly elections.
Riding the winds of political change and improving on its performance
in the Lok Sabha polls and subsequent by-elections, the Trinamool
Congress also humbled ally Congress in its victory march.
The Trinamool, which had lost the KMC to the Left Front in 2005, swept
the 141-ward city corporation, winning 95 with the CPI(M) following
far behind at 33, Congress securing 10 and BJP three.
Among the 81 civic bodies spread across 16 of 19 districts for which
elections were held on Sunday, the Trinamool Congress won 36, the Left
Front 18 and the Congress six.
Besides this, the TC and Congress won in 17 municipalities, including
in Memari, Daihat, Kalna, where there was unofficial understanding
between the two parties.
Elections to four of the civic bodies in Bongaon, Taki Mathabhanga and
Kanchrapara led to hung boards.
The Left Front had been in power in 55 civic bodies Trinamool in eight
and Congress in 11 prior to the elections.
The Trinamool also wrested the Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) municipality
after a gap of 15 years.
Buoyed by the remarkable showing of her party, Banerjee demanded
immediate Assembly elections, saying that the CPI(M) has lost all
right to continue in power.
Chief Minister Buddadeb Bhattacharjee refused to take questions from
the media on the Left Front's poor showing.
The civic elections were also a prestige fight between Banerjee, the
Railway Minister, and Union Finance Minister and WBPCC chief Pranab
Mukherjee after the two sides failed to clinch a seat-sharing deal in
the KMC.
It was also to judge the Trinamool's own strength sans Congress prior
to next year's assembly elections.
In Delhi, Mukherjee congratulated Banerjee for her excellent
performance and accepted the failure of the Congress in not coming up
to expectations.
"I accept the failure of the Congress to perform up to the
expectations which we had. I accept the verdict of the people with all
humility," he said.
For the Left Front it was equally a test to ascertain whether it had
gained from the Trinamool and Congress going separate ways in the
civic elections.
Readers' opinions (5)
Srikant J. Pondicherry 02/06/2010 at 10:14 pm
This is a great victory for democratic forces of Trinamool. People are
slowly coming to terms that their salvation is in democracy and not in
socialism.
Agree (1)
Disagree (1)
Recommend (1)
Narendra KV Bangalore, India 02/06/2010 at 10:13 pm
Jyothi Basu ruled Bengal for over 2.5 decades on the strength of good
governance. Bengalis have given a quite tribute to Jyothi Basu in the
year of his death. Bengal needs change and good governance. I however
pity the voters, for they have a Hobson's choice. While CPI(M) is in
comatose and will immensely benefit from a spell in opposition, Mamata
is an unmitigated disaster as an administrator.
Agree (1)
Disagree (1)
Recommend (1)
Padam Singh Salisbury, UK 02/06/2010 at 10:08 pm
Former leaders of Bengal like Surendranath Banerjea, the Grand Old Man
of Bengal to Dr BC Roy who told his people " My young friends, you are
soldiers in the battle of freedom-freedom from want, fear, ignorance,
frustration and helplessness. By a dint of hard work for the country,
rendered in a spirit of selfless service, may you march ahead with
hope and courage... ."
Agree (1)
Disagree (0)
Recommend (1)
friend of change NJ 02/06/2010 at 09:57 pm
Wb CM should resign immediately
Agree (1)
Disagree (1)
Recommend (1)
Rana Mumbai 02/06/2010 at 09:51 pm
Winning election is one thing and delivering is altogether a different
matter. If Left and Cong want to play long, let her win (not that they
can stop her from winning) the assembly election. Like left all she
can do is stop development, promise big but she is not an
administrator who will deliver.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Trinamool-demolishes-Left-humbles-Congress-in-WB-civic-polls/articleshow/6003946.cms
Breaking News:Pranab congratulates Mamata for 'excellent performance'
IANS, Jun 2, 2010, 12.57pm IST
Tags:Congress|Pranab Mukherjee|Trinamool Congress|Mamata Banerjee|
Kolkata Municipal Corporation|west Bengal civic polls
NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader and Union Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee Wednesday congratulated Trinamool Congress chief and Railway
Minister Mamata Banerjee for the "excellent performance" of her party
in the West Bengal civic polls.
Pranab, who is also the chief of the Congress in the state, accepted
the failure of his party in the elections held to 81 municipal bodies,
including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), ahead of next
year's crucial assembly polls.
"I would like to congratulate Mamata Banerjee for her excellent
performance," Mukherjee said, accepting that the Congress has done
"badly" in the elections.
"I accept the verdict of the people," Mukherjee said.
The Trinamool Congress won the KMC elections with a huge margin. The
initial results of other municipal corporations across the state also
indicate a victory for the party.
The elections were held a year after the Lok Sabha polls that saw the
Trinamool Congress-Congress combine along with the Socialist Unity
Centre of India decimate the ruling Left Front.
But the political equations have substantially changed this time
around. The Trinamool Congress and the Congress failed to clinch a
seat-sharing deal.
Readers' opinions (2)
Agree
freddie uk 02/06/2010 at 05:00 pm
One Bengali praises another Bengali
Agree (1)
Deshbandhu Sing Kolkotta 02/06/2010 at 05:55 pm
Shameless the firstnamed Bengali who would have been kicked out by
Netaji for being hypocr and a fraud
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Pranab-congratulates-Mamata-for-excellent-performance/articleshow/6002465.cms
Advantage Mamata
Jun 3, 2010, 12.00am IST
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Tags:Congress|CPM|Mamata|Trinamul|municipal election
The West Bengal municipal election results are likely to impact
political equations at the Centre and in the state. The Trinamul
Congress seems to have emerged the winner while the Left Front has
failed to recover the ground it lost ahead of the 2009 parliamentary
election.
Trinamul can claim to have consolidated the anti-incumbency sentiment
in the state and could effectively challenge the Left Front, which has
held office in the state for more than three decades, in the assembly
polls scheduled for next year.
The implications of this trend are many. The Congress, which contested
the civic poll on its own, has failed to make significant gains.
Clearly, it needs a strong partner like the Trinamul to win seats in
Bengal. But the Trinamul will need the Congress too. Mamata shouldn't
construe the election result as a reason to drive too hard a bargain
with the Congress. It is likely that Mamata would now concentrate even
more on preparing her party for the assembly election at the cost of
her ministerial duties.
Her preoccupation with West Bengal politics has crippled the
functioning of the railway ministry. The UPA leadership should ask her
to take a call on the matter. She could hand over the Railways to a
Trinamul nominee and focus on state politics if that's her
preference.
Buoyed by the civic poll results, Mamata would be tempted to go it
alone in the assembly election. The Trinamul has surged ahead of the
Congress as the main opposition party in the state, but does it have
the organisational spread and strength to take on the Left single-
handedly?
The winds of change are visible in West Bengal. However, a combined
opposition grouping of the Trinamul and the Congress is better placed
to ride the wind. That the Left recognises this and wants to prevent a
consolidation of opposition forces is evident from the overtures made
by the CPM to the Congress.
There are leaders within the Congress as well who believe that the CPM
will make for a better ally. Mamata's unpredictable temperament makes
her a difficult partner.
Her politics is a mix of populism and demagoguery while the CPM comes
with a bag of ideological fixations, which would hinder the UPA
government's foreign policy initiatives and economic reforms agenda.
There are far too many imponderables to predict how the political
climate could change. Hopefully, the Congress will keep in mind
stability and policymaking continuity at the Centre when it chooses
allies.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Home/Opinion/Edit-Page/Advantage-Mamata/articleshow/6004232.cms
Brave Front is all that's Left
TNN, Jun 3, 2010, 01.09am IST
Tags:Congress|West Bengal|CPM|Mamata|Red Fort|Sitaram Yechury
NEW DELHI: The municipal poll results have dealt another body blow to
CPM, confirming the perception that the party is on its way to lose
the Red Fort of West Bengal.
Even though spokespersons of CPM and CPI put up a brave front, it is
being recognized that Mamata Banerjee's win in the third consecutive
match-up is seen as a clear indication that the political momentum is
with her and may sweep her into Writers' Building.
When politburo member Sitaram Yechury finally appeared before the
media, heunderlined that the contests were limited to urban areas
which make up for 17% of West Bengal. He rejected Trinamool's demand
to bring forward the assembly elections scheduled next year.
But the fact is that, as the 2008 panchayat polls showed, Trinamool
has dented what was considered to be the impregnable bastion of Left
in rural Bengal.
While CPM has lost and won power frequently in Kerala since 1957, it
defied the law of averages by not ceding power even once since 1977
when it stunned itself by winning the assembly polls. Its immunity to
anti-incumbency in West Bengal brought in advantages across the
country -- an assured strength in Parliament and a profile that was
disproportionately outsized.
It has negative consequences too. Control over West Bengal bred
complacency, helping those who wanted to paper over what successive
party documents called "stagnation" in the north.
As it happens, the bastion has developed alarming cracks just when the
CPM appeared to be on a slippery slope in the other party-ruled state
of Kerala as well. A double whammy will be a huge setback to the party
which defied the decline of the Communist movement across the globe to
command clout.
The unfolding scenario looked inconceivable just over two years ago
when the Left, commanding an all-time high of 62 seats in Lok Sabha,
was seen as the real power at the Dilli Darbar. It unsparingly used
its leaverage with UPA-1 to organize concessions -- ranging from
policy tweaks to appointments.
The defeat may also encourage those within who have said that Prakash
Karat's dogged anti-Americanism drove the Congress into a partnership
with Mamata, giving rise to a powerful challenge.
Talking to the media, Yechury refrained from making excuses. "Anti-
left votes get consolidated even without a mahajot," he said. The
politburo member, however, found a silver lining in the verdict as he
pointed out that Left's vote percentage had shown a marginal
improvement of over 4% from the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. "Our vote
percentage has shown marginal improvement of over 4% from last Lok
Sabha elections. It shows that the trend seen in the Lok Sabha
elections has been arrested but not reversed," he said.
Saying that election to 81 civic bodies involved only 17% of the urban
population of the state, he argued that Wednesday's verdict not be
seen as a conclusive one. He also disagreed that it was a semi-final.
"The final will also be played by the same teams," he said.
CPI leader D Raja said Left should introspect and take necessary steps
before next year's assembly election. CPM politburo already has a pre-
scheduled meeting from Saturday in which the rout will be discussed
threadbare. It is unlikely that heads will roll at this stage. "We did
not have high hopes from this election. In many ways, the result has
shown both the party and the government need to work together," a
source said.
Among factors that the party is going to analyse in detail is the way
Muslims voted in the civic polls. CPM had hoped that the state
government's recent decision to give reservation to Muslims in jobs
will have a positive impact. "The state government is implementing
reservation very seriously. We expect it will have an impact during
the assembly election," the source said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Brave-Front-is-all-thats-Left/articleshow/6005155.cms
Mamata Banerjee to get more clout in Delhi
Mohua Chatterjee, TNN, Jun 3, 2010, 12.11am IST
Tags:Sonia Gandhi|Congress|West Bengal|TMC|Mamata Banerjee
NEW DELHI: Mamata Banerjee's big victory in Kolkata and her
considerable gains elsewhere in West Bengal in the civic polls may
have altered equations to her advantage within the UPA, but it's also
clear that the Trinamool Congress chief too needs Congress by her side
to ensure a clear victory in the assembly elections in 2011.
Mamata's bargaining power with Congress is sure to go up with her
increased strength in the state. It is already evident with the Centre
giving in to the railway minister's demands and ordering a CBI probe
into the Jhargram train mishap even though the state government did
not want it.
But the message for Didi lies in the hung mandate in 31 of the 81
municipalities that went to polls on May 30. A clear win could have
come their way in these municipalities if Congress and TMC had allied
to keep the Left out of the picture. So, Mamata will also have to keep
to the coalition dharma, whether it is for seat sharing in 2011 or as
part of the UPA government. The attempt on both ends will be to not
ruffle feathers before the assembly polls next year.
As the state's PCC chief, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, before
leaving for the G20 meet in Busan on Wednesday night, submitted a
report to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi stating that compared to the
number of munipalities that Congress and TMC have won on their own
respectively, the number of hung houses were much more at 31. TMC has
made it to 24 of the 81 municipalities and Congress has won seven. The
Left Front has won only 18.
Also, with Left losing ground, it is no longer a viable option for
Congress as an alliance partner. In that situation, it has to be a
partnership with Mamata to keep the Left out.
It is likely that more of her demands will be heeded by the Congress-
led Centre as 2011 draws closer. That the need for each other's
partnership was "mutual" was also clear from Mamata's statement
saying, "I am part of the UPA... I have no problems with Congress
party except for some local leaders." The indication was clear from
Mamata's claim that her party will be able to cobble up a board in at
least 23 of the 31 municipalities where there is a hung mandate. Her
hint was towards a post-poll tie-up with Congress to form the civic
boards.
It was not without a thought that Mukherjee wasted no time in
congratulating Mamata for her big victory in Kolkata and "doing well
in the districts". The Congress leader's message was loud and clear
that there are no more ego issues in the way of the allies reuniting
after they had parted ways before the civic polls as they could not
agree on seat sharing.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Mamata-Banerjee-to-get-more-clout-in-Delhi/articleshow/6005174.cms
I didn't term Maoists as 'Gandhians with guns': Arundhati Roy
PTI, Jun 3, 2010, 01.02am IST
Tags:Arundhati Roy|Maoists|Gandhians with guns
MUMBAI: Noted writer and Naxal sympathiser Arundhati Roy on Wednesday
clarified that she never termed Maoists as 'Gandhians with guns'.
"I never called them Gandhians with guns. It was a blurb carried by a
magazine. What I meant was that they (Naxals) are more Gandhian than
any other Gandhian in their consumption pattern...their lifestyle,
which is in stark contrast to their violent means of resistance," said
the 48-year-old Booker Prize winner.
Arundhati drew a lot of flak for the reported comments, especially
after the Dantewada Naxal attack claiming lives of 76 security
personnel for calling Naxals as 'Gandhians with guns'.
"I in fact have also written a letter in the next issue of the same
magazine which carried my article, 'Walking With The Comrades'
clarifying my point and stand, she said addressing a lecture 'The War
on People' organised by the Committee for Protection of Democratic
Rights here on Wednesday.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/I-didnt-term-Maoists-as-Gandhians-with-guns-Arundhati-Roy/articleshow/6005215.cms
Page last updated at 14:02 GMT, Sunday, 17 May 2009 15:02 UK
Bastion of Indian communism crumbles
The Trinamul Congress and Congress alliance swept West Bengal
For decades it was a fortress for the Left, but now Indian voters have
radically reshaped the politics of West Bengal. The BBC's Subhir
Bhaumik, in Calcutta, considers where it all went wrong for a once
untouchable political force.
Anti-incumbency has finally caught up with the ruling Left coalition
in the Indian state of West Bengal, which has been in power for 32
years.
On Saturday, the coalition could only manage to win 15 of the state's
42 parliament seats.
The opposition alliance of Trinamul Congress and Congress swept the
thickly-populated state, where the Leftists had pioneered land reforms
and institutionalised local self-government to build up what appeared,
until not so long ago, an unbeatable political support base with the
rural poor at its core.
The fiercely anti-Left Trinamuls won 19, the Congress won five and a
smaller socialist ally won one seat.
Early signals
Many, like political analyst Ranabir Sammadar of the Calcutta Research
Group, had seen this coming.
Only three years ago, the Left won a resounding victory in the state
assembly polls and looked unbeatable
Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhuri
Bengal psephologist
"The signs of erosion in the Left support base was becoming evident
over the last three years. First, there was widespread rioting against
the public distribution shops manned by Leftist cronies throughout
rural Bengal," he said.
"Then there was the huge unrest against the Left's efforts to take
over fertile croplands for setting up industry. Finally, when the Left
lost nearly 30% of seats in last year's village council elections, it
was clear that the slide had started."
But analysts are stunned by the speed with which this happened.
Mamata Banerji: Trinamul leader's austere lifestyle plays well with
poor
"Only three years ago, the Left won a resounding victory in the state
assembly polls and looked unbeatable," says Sabyasachi Basu Ray
Chaudhuri, Bengal's leading psephologist.
"And now they have lost more than 53% of their parliament seats.
Though detailed statistics are not available, a four-to-five per cent
swing would be needed to make this [happen]."
Mr Chaudhuri says the Left failed to retain its support base among the
rural poor who felt threatened by the government's cropland takeover
plans , while it failed to gain support from the urban voters for its
plans to rapidly industrialise the state.
Battered image
But interestingly, the Trinamul Congress upset the Left by picking on
issues once championed by the Left itself.
The whole state saw the face of Red Terror for the first time in
three decades and that turned even the urban middle class against
them
Ashis Ghose
Bengal Left-watcher
"We are the true Leftists, they are fakes ," thundered the Trinamul
chief Mamata Banerji in one rally after another.
Her loud campaign against the takeover of croplands - that drove the
"Nano" small car project out of the state - won her countless
supporters among the rural poor and middle peasantry who once solidly
backed the Left coalition, specially the Communist Party of India
(Marxist) or CPI(M) that leads it.
Some say the use of organised muscle-power by the CPI(M) to take over
the fertile croplands, especially in the embattled southern enclave of
Nandigram, dented the party's pro-poor image.
"The police firing that killed 14 peasants at Nandigram two years ago,
the terror struck by armed CPI(M) cadres on rows and rows of
motorcycles donning red neck scarves, and the defence of peasants by
the opposition supporters were all captured live on television, " says
Bengal Left-watcher Ashis Ghose.
"The whole state saw the face of Red Terror for the first time in
three decades and that turned even the urban middle class against
them."
Even the highly-respected Bengali intelligentsia - some of India's
best writers, playwrights, poets , film-makers and artists - turned
against the Left coalition and took to the streets demanding political
change.
The Nano, the world's cheapest car, was to have been made in West
Bengal
"In Bengal, the intelligentsia commands huge respect. They are
generally anti-establishment and have been largely with the Left, but
no longer ," says Basu Ray Chaudhuri.
Some key figures like Debabrata Banerji - who, as a serving bureaucrat
had masterminded the Left-driven land reforms - have also backed the
Trinamul Congress, because they are convinced that the Left is no
longer for the poor and the down-trodden.
'Self-seekers abound'
It seems the wheel has come full circle in West Bengal with political
parties changing roles: The Left appearing to be pro-capital in its
drive for rapid industrialisation, the Trinamuls appearing to be pro-
poor in their campaign to protect croplands from forcible takeovers.
The present crop of our leaders have backgrounds in student politics,
the type who have made it to the party politburo from university
coffee-houses in a few years
Unnamed CPI(M) figure
Add to that Mamata's austere personal lifestyle, which makes a great
draw among the poor.
On the day of the election, hard-core Left supporter Ashis Santra of
Uluberia township near Calcutta told the BBC: "Mamata Banerji's
politics is dangerous, but none can fault her on integrity, commitment
and her lifestyle."
Over the years, the CPI(M)'s party organisation - and that of other
Left parties - has also weakened.
"Too many self-seekers have entered the party. Our numbers have
increased, the quality of membership has not," admits Birnan Bose,
CPI(M) state party secretary and Left Front chairman.
But many party supporters say the younger wave of leaders who have
taken over the running of the party lack the organisational ability
and the political acumen of veterans like former chief minister Jyoti
Basu and the late party secretary, Anil Biswas - and that, they say,
cost the party dear in moments of crisis.
"The present crop of our leaders have backgrounds in student politics,
the type who have made it to the party politburo from university
coffee-houses in a few years," said a CPI(M) state-level leader who
runs a party publication.
"They lack the experience and resilience to tackle a tough political
situation and they don't understand the peasantry or the working
classes," said the official, who did not wished to be named.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8054289.stm
West Bengal: Communists paying for their bad Karma
September 01, 2008
"To the man thinking about the objects arises attachment, from
attachment arises longing; and from longing arises anger. From anger
comes delusion; and from delusion loss of memory; from loss of memory,
the ruin of discrimination; and on the ruin of discrimination, he
perishes" - Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita
Karma theory has been the traditional Indian way of rationalising the
irrational, explaining the inexplicable. Simply put, it is the
nature's way of effectuating a global restitution system. It
correlates all our actions to its final consequences. Sometimes, this
manifests after several generations, sometimes the very next day.
Further, it seeks to explain the continuous link life has with this
world prior to our birth and after we cease to exist. It forces one to
be considerate in their actions lest their deeds do not recoil on them
or on their future generations. In this connection Concise Oxford
Dictionary of Current English defines it as the "sum of person's
actions in one of his successive states of existence, viewed as
deciding his fate for the next."
All these can simply be explained as an extension the Newtonian laws
of physics and his explanation of cause and effect on physical action
into life. In effect, it concludes that by all our action we create a
cause, which in time will bear its corresponding effects.
One may be equally familiar with the modern chaos theory too � that
which seeks to explain how a butterfly flapping its wings in Peru
could cause devastating typhoons across Pacific Ocean in distant Japan
[Images]. Or how the July 2005 nuclear agreement between India and US
by a series of interconnected events led to the installation of Sibu
Soren as chief minister of Jharkhand last week. Chaos theory and Karma
theory are of the same genre.
Interestingly, what is true for individuals seems to be applicable to
political parties now. The recent happenings at West Bengal only seem
to fortify the view that our Communists are reaping what they had sown
over the past three decades there. Karma theory in full work against
the Communists!
Politics of Bandhs and its consequences
To understand what has been stated it is pertinent to delve into the
history of the Communist movement in West Bengal during the past three
decades since they came to power in the mid-seventies in order to
understand their Karma.
Readers may recall that in even in the pre-independence era, Kolkata -
then Calcutta - was a pride of India and the engine of our
independence movement. It is often remarked that whatever Bengal
thought or did, the rest of India followed. And post independence too,
Bengal continued to dominate our collective thinking in politics as
much as in economics.
It was natural given the levels of intellectualism that prevailed then
and coupled with the industrial climate, many business houses from
distant Marwar [Images] in Rajasthan and even a few MNCs had their
head offices in Kolkata.
But by the late seventies things changed dramatically after the advent
of the Communists at the helm of affairs of the state. By a series of
anti-industry policy, intimidation, pro labour approach, bandhs
(general strikes) and gheraos (encircling a superior), West Bengal was
crippled within a few years. The Frankenstein monster was well and
truly unleashed.
That surely put Kolkatha on the international map, but as a poor city
and one that was renowned world over for its penury. And this brought
aid to the city, not investments. Readers may note that international
aid and foreign investments are alternatives � one cannot have the
luxury of both.
Given this scenario, leave alone FDI, even domestic investments was
hard to come by. Worse still, the state witnessed a flight of capital
for the past several decades. After all, people invest while there is
prosperity, not where there is self-proclaimed poverty, state
sponsored industrial unrest and of course a hostile government.
Similarly "City of Joy" too by its very portrayal of the city did not
bring joy to this city, though it brought it international acclaim. It
is indeed surprising the people of Bengal � one of the most
intelligent in the entire country � did not foresee the economic
consequences of all these negative representation.
The net effect was that by early eighties, the only international
organisation operating from Kolkatha by then was the Missionaries of
Charity of Mother Teresa. Others, for obvious economic, political and
strategic reasons, had fled.
Nevertheless, all this went very well with the Communists, the
specialists in poverty economics.
In the process a new culture had come to play in Bengal � a culture of
lawlessness, indiscipline and of course disruptive behaviour.
Naturally, this had a tremendous negative impact on investment climate
of the state. Where else in the world do you find the government
abdicating its constitutional responsibility through a bandh and
resume its responsibility the next day as if nothing had happened in
the interregnum?
And this happens in West Bengal virtually every other day. And if the
Communists backed by the government do not call for a bandh the
opposition would do. It would seem that the state and its people are
perennially on dissent � sometimes with a cause, sometimes without but
never without a pause.
The extent of the damage caused to the collective psyche of the state
can be gauged by the fact that on the entry of some IT industries,
members of the political parties, unused as they were to deal only
with white collar employees, began to debate as to how to effectuate
strikes in such business places!
The leopards' spots are infectious
Naturally, over a period of time the state became a laggard in every
field, especially in the socio-economic areas when compared to the
rest of the country. No wonder, Jyoti Basu, the former chief minister
of West Bengal is often compared to Lord Shiva [Images] - the
destroyer of investment, capital and the Bourgeois.
By the early part of this decade, the Communists too had realised the
futility and folly of their approach. Surely their economic policies
needed a revisit. And that was left to the eternal credit of Buddhadeb
Bhattacharya, the incumbent chief minister of Bengal to effectuate the
Left's turn "U" turn. In turn, the chief minister began to play Brahma
� the creator of investment, capital and Bourgeois in Bengal all over
once again � exemplified by the invitation to the Tata group to set up
their Nano plant in Singur.
Given their track record, it is indeed difficult to fathom that a
leopard can even change its spots. No wonder despite the repeated
assurances of the chief minister -- no less -- the Communist Party
seems to be in its perpetual state of war with the government, little
realising that it is actually in power in the state.
What else would explain the reported comment of the chief minister as
opposing such disruptive practices as bandhs inviting a sharp rebuke
from the party instantly and censuring him publicly last week? Surely
the leopard cannot change its spots.
But this leopard's spots seem to be infectious. Strangely opposition
seems to have come to have realised that the only way of toppling the
Communist government in West Bengal is to adopt their own wretched
practices of bandhs, disruptions and lawlessness.
Naturally, as Mamata Banerjee is paying in their own coin in Singur to
the Communists, it is a pity that the people of state are the losers.
When Karma theory is at work, like all other laws of nature, it
carries no sympathy. Neither does it discriminate amongst its
victims.
One may also recall that the Leftists have often encouraged, albeit
tacitly, illegal migration from across the border from Bangladesh in
order to bolster their vote bank. Now press reports as well as some of
my friends from the state suggest that the Nandigram [Images] movement
is in fact shepherded by such illegal migrants.
What else would explain the simultaneous flare-up in Kolkata on
Taslima Nasreen [Images], the Bangladeshi author, now in exile in
India and the operation in Nandigram by the state's police in November
2007? Surely, the links are too obvious to be missed.
Obviously, the Leftists are caught in a bind. If they use force
against these protestors they would be doomed in the next elections.
If they don't, surely Tata may exit Singur and relocate their Nano
plant elsewhere, which means economic doom for the state.
Either way, it is not a happy situation for the Communists. After-all
the farmers (who by the land reforms carried on by the Communists) and
the illegal migrants from Bangladesh (for the reasons stated above)
are perhaps some of the very few beneficiaries of the three decades
long Communist rule in West Bengal.
Strangely, it is this vote bank of the Communists that is endangered
by the successive events in Singur and Nandigram. The opposition
realises that it can go for the jugular. Surely, they would intensify
their protests hoping to fish successfully in troubled waters. A state
used to such mass indiscipline is perhaps damned in the medium-term.
And this where the quote of Lord Krishna made at the outset becomes
relevant. The Communists, by their antagonistic approach always run a
risk of being overwhelmed by a downward spiral. The Leftists can be
bettered by ultras, ultras by Naxalites [Images], Naxals by Maoists,
Maoists by extremists and extremists by terrorists. And that is what
is happening in West Bengal � the Karma of Communists is catching with
them.
The author is a Chennai based Chartered Accountant. He can be
contacted at ***@rediffmail.com
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Fascism reigns supreme in Nandigram
Indrani Roy Mitra in Nandigram | May 11, 2008 16:16 IST
Last Updated: May 12, 2008 09:29 IST
A 32-year-old woman from Kanungopada could not control her tears as
she blurted out, "We have not gone to cast our votes. We are simply
not allowed to do that. Last night, hundreds of Communist Party of
India-Marxist cadres from Khejuri came to our place and threatened us
with widowhood if we cast our votes.
In fact, they came with white dhotis and said you would have to wear
it all your life if you voice your opinion," the woman said. She then
rolled up her sari to show how she was beaten up by CPI-M loyalists a
few days ago.
She did not disclose her name, nor did she allow us to take her
photograph. "Didi, I want to live a little longer," she reasoned as
her neighbour kept a strict vigil so that no CPI-M loyalist was around
to eavesdrop on the conversation.
The official figure for the Nandigram [Images] panchayat election
stated that 40 per cent polling was conducted till 1 pm on Sunday.
In Kanungopada, only 200 families out of 900 were 'allowed' to vote.
Those who voted were known CPI-M supporters.
The woman's fears could be seen relected in the eyes of Shobhon Bijli
of Adhikaripada who rushed to the local Central Reserve Police Force
camp to help rescue his father Sudhin Bijli, who had allegedly been
abducted by CPI-M goons on Sunday morning.
The boy's pleas fell on deaf ears of the policemen around, which is
when he thought of approaching the CRPF.
The police have a very 'weird' role in Nandigram. They have all the
power or no power at all, whatever the circumstances.
"My head hangs in shame to think that I belong to West Bengal police,"
said a senior police inspector in charge of a polling booth in
Gokulnagar area. "We would not have had this much peace in Nadigram if
CRPF DIG Alok Raj and his team were not here. Prior to their arrival,
our survival was at stake," the inspector said.
He said what is happening in Nandigram is shameful for entire
humanity. "It pains me to see colleagues of mine unleashing terrror,"
the inspector added.
The situation in Nandigram is no less peaceful, infomed Alok Raj
barring stary incidents of violence and booth-jamming.
Raj became a hero to the residents of Nandigram overnight as they
started looking up to him as their saviour.
The CPI-M men, obviously, do not like him and an FIR was lodged
against him on Sunday morning charging him with molesting a rural
woman during a routine search, but Raj was undetered.
While speaking to rediff.com on phone he said he would go to court if
need be to challege the FIR.
Incidentally, he had been threatended by local CPI-M MP Laxman Seth
of dire consequences if he interefered with the polling process.
All these threats and violence by the CPI-M send out a clear signal:
They are insecure and scared, as a physician obervering polling at
Nandigram puts it.
These atrocities are not going down well even with hardcore CPI-M
activists. The day is not far when we will find the so called CPI-M
politicans crossing floors to topple the government. We all are
waiting eagerly for that to happen.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/may/11nandi.htm?zcc=rl
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June 05, 2007
All-party meet held in Nandigram
Mamata meets Basu over Singur, Nandigram
May 27, 2007
Very difficult to restore peace in Nandigram: Jyoti Basu
May 25, 2007
Nandigram genocide must be on agenda of future meetings: Mamata
Farmer's body found in Nandigram
May 24, 2007
Mamata walks out of all-party meet on Nandigram
May 15, 2007
Left agrees to state-level talks on Nandigram
May 08, 2007
No evidence of Maoist presence in Nandigram
May 03, 2007
HC directs WB govt to ensure normal life in Nandigram
May 02, 2007
HC wants Nandigram status report
Clashes erupt in Nandigram again
'Political culture of violence continues in Bengal': Karat
April 30, 2007
Police to act cautiously in Nandigram
Trinamool protests Nandigram violence
April 29, 2007
1 killed, 2 hurt in Nandigram violence
April 28, 2007
Nandigram: Firing, bomb throwing continue
April 27, 2007
Firing, bombs hurled in Nandigram
April 26, 2007
High Court defers Nandigram hearing
April 09, 2007
Nandigram firing: HC grants bail to 14
April 07, 2007
Compensation for Nandigram victims after inquiry: CM
April 05, 2007
Nandigram: 11 depose in executive inquiry
April 03, 2007
Nandigram: 25 out of 27 missing persons traced
April 01, 2007
Nandigram: Charred body of a child found
March 28, 2007
Buddhadeb scraps Nandigram project
March 26, 2007
Calcutta High Court halts CBI probe into Nandigram
100 cops return from Nandigram
March 25, 2007
Nandigram pre-planned by police: Dasmunshi
March 24, 2007
Bombs hurled in Nandigram
March 23, 2007
Rift over Nandigram widens in Left in W Bengal
Fresh tension at Nandigram
Nandigram fallout: Bengal CM holds high-level meet
March 22, 2007
CBI submits report on Nandigram to HC
NDA leaders request President Kalam to visit Nandigram
March 21, 2007
Cracks appear in Congress-Left alliance
CID team heckled in Nandigram
Nandigram: 3 women file rape complaints
Nandigram firing: FIR filed against cops
Nandigram violence should not have happened: PM
Rajya Sabha adjourned till April 26 over Nandigram
March 20, 2007
CBI rushes senior official to Nandigram
Nandigram rocks Parliament again
CPI-M supporters demand security
WB govt fears fresh violence in Nandigram
Outsiders were involved in Nandigram violence
March 19, 2007
Nandigram outcry: Will Bengal CM resign?
Nandigram: Parliament stalled again
WB govt stops land acquisition
Nandigram: Communists explain stand
March 18, 2007
Opposition to stall Parliament again over Nandigram
Nandigram probe progressing well: CBI
March 17, 2007
West Bengal govt under threat
Advani equates Nandigram incident to Jallianwallah Bagh
CBI arrests 10 in Nandigram, arms seized
Left Front govt to stop land acquisition in Nandigram
March 16, 2007
RSP may pull out of West Bengal govt
WB bandh: Buses torched, officials beaten up
CBI team begins Nandigram probe
Police camps attacked in Nandigram
Nandigram tense but under control: Patil
Tata project site in Singur attacked
March 15, 2007
What Buddhadeb says on Nandigram violence
Mamata returns to Kolkata
Nandigram: 'I fled but my brother is missing'
Advani to lead NDA delegation to Nandigram
Police were provoked to fire in Nandigram: WB govt
We're ready for CBI probe into Nandigram: CPM
Nandigram: Mamata injured in stone-pelting; hospitalised
Calcutta High Court asks CBI to probe Nandigram firing
Amidst furore over Nandigram, LS and RS adjourned
Nandigram: Centre gets report from WB govt
Nandigram: Trouble erupts again; toll rises to 14
Advani speaks to PM about Nandigram violence
March 14, 2007
Scribes covering Nandigram violence assaulted
Cong seeks President's Rule in West Bengal
CPI-M blames TC for Nandigram violence
TC calls for Bengal strike on Friday over Nandigram violence
6 killed, several injured in Nandigram violence
March 13, 2007
Police not entering Nandigram area
February 18, 2007
Bombs hurled, people beaten up in Nandigram
February 17, 2007
Fresh trouble at Nandigram, houses set ablaze
February 12, 2007
Protests rage in Nandigram
February 07, 2007
Nandigram: Rival parties take out processions
January 10, 2007
Calm prevails in Nandigram
January 09, 2007
CPI-M leader shot dead in West Bengal
Police sets up camp in Nandigram
NDA to discuss Nandigram issue
January 08, 2007
Peace process begins at Nandigram: Govt
Bengal bandh hits normal life, 350 arrested
WB: Villagers flee Nandigram
Bengal: Villages around Nandigram remain inaccessible
January 07, 2007
Six killed in Nandigram violence
...and I am Sid Harth