Events And Issues
New Delhi, 19 November 2007
Nandigram-Khejuri
Portents
TOWARDS CIVIL WAR
IN WEST BENGAL
By Dr. Nitish Sengupta
(Till recently, MP,
Lok Sabha, from Contai, neighbouring
Nandigram and Khejuri
in West Bengal)
What has happened in Nandigram in the few days starting from
November 6 is a matter of shame for West Bengal
and for the Government authorities in general.
The manner in which red guards from adjoining areas of Khejuri P.S.,
from Keshpur and Garbeta in West Midnapore district and also from Burdwan,
Bankura and Hooghly districts came fully armed to Nandigram area and staged
attacks on the people of Nandigram for three or four days and physically
reoccupied Nandigram, is unprecedented and shocking. The police force simply
withdrew, not to speak of taking action against such blatant violations of law
and order and our constitutional provisions.
Houses were burnt, property was looted or destroyed, women
were raped and members of the local Association
of Protection of Land were simply overpowered with brute force by the CPM
goons. To add to the sad story, no outsiders not even a well-known social
activist like Medha Patekar and Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress leader, and journalists in general were allowed
to visit Nandigram and kept confined at Kalighat the main entry point. This is
yet another violation of the fundamental right granted in our Constitution for
freedom of movement and freedom of speech.
It is true that Nandigram,
a CPM bastion till recently, revolted against the State Government early
this year on account of land acquisition notices distributed by the Haldia
Development Authority for acquisition of land for a chemical hub. People of
Nandigram naturally got nervous and protested against this acquisition. They formed
the Bhoomi Uched Pratirodh Committee. Thus the CPM suddenly found itself
out-maneouvred in an area they were accustomed to think of as their own
stronghold.
In order to teach a lesson
to their erstwhile CPM colleagues now turned opponents, on 14th March
armed CPM goons and policemen entered Nandigram killing many and wounding many
more. Since then there has been a steady exodus of people from Nandigram which
place was closed to the CPM cadre until the recent incident, when by a
tremendous show of force the red brigade brought Nandigram under its control.
It is noticed that this blatant action, oblivious of public
opinion or propriety, has already cost the CPM the support of a great majority
of artists and intellectuals who have been traditionally supporting the Left Front
in West Bengal. Secondly, this also cost the
CPM the support of nearly all other constituents of the Left Front viz. the Revolutionary
Socialist Party, the Community Party of India and the Forward Bloc. These three
constituents have declared their opposition to the big brotherly attitude of
the CPM and their revolutionary strong arm behaviour.
A Minister like Kshiti Goswami has expressed a desire to resign from the Government. One cannot
minimize the great importance of the other parties in the constitution of the
Left Front. Their withdrawal of support may very well cost the Left Front and
the CPM very dearly. Above every thing else, there is the question of a ‘don’t-care-attitude’
shown by the CPM cadres which no doubt have the support from their leaders.
Thirdly, one has to take seriously the outburst of Governor Gopal Krishna
Gandhi calling the Nandigram incidents as shocking and unacceptable.
For years the CPM cadre in Khejuri have practically kept the
local people in a sort of serfdom where they are not allowed to express their opinion or take any action without permission of the local CPM leadership. Things came to
such a pass during the last
panchayat elections that no non-CPM candidate was allowed to file his or her
nomination through use of brute force.
All representations made to higher authorities came to
naught and the panchayat elections took place with CPM as the only party
contesting the elections. Clearly, this was a precursor to what they were going
to do during the Parliamentary elections and the Assembly
elections. During the Parliamentary elections they simply turned all the
polling booths in that area into closed shops, not allowing any voter to enter
the booths to cast his vote.
Even the polling agents of the Trinamool Congress candidate were not allowed to enter the polling
booths allotted to them. The police looked the other way pretending not to
notice any thing. Even the partisan District Magistrates helped the CPM cadres
in what became a clear case of a manipulated election. Obviously, the CPM wants
to repeat the same both in Khejuri and Nandigram during the panchayat
elections. That is why it is important for them to physically control the area
in question.
But the point is that in doing so the red brigade has
violated the fundamental provisions of our Constitution and one can argue that
the administration in West Bengal cannot any
longer be carried on according to the provisions of the Constitution and,
therefore, some action on the part of the Central Government is needed.
While Article 356 of the Constitution may not be the
appropriate provision, there is no reason why some action should not be
considered under Article 355, declaring Khejuri and Nandigram as disturbed
areas and sending army contingents to maintain peace in that area. This will
surely salvage the Governments’ prestige that it has already lost on account of
its inaction in allowing the situation in Nandigram.
One knows there are some obvious defects in applying Article
355 of the Constitution. But there is no harm in at least making an effort and
thereby bring the present Government in West Bengal
under some kind of a challenge. The posting of the CRPF has not been of any
use. Incidentally, so arrogant was the CPM cadre in Nandigram that they have
even refused to allow the initial contingent of the CRPF to enter Nandigram. Subsequently,
some CRPF forces have been stationed, but under orders of the local police
officials --- and well after it is all over and Nandigram had gone under the
control to the CPM’s red brigade.
In such a situation, stationing of the CRPF contingents is
an empty show which cannot give confidence to the people who have been affected
and thrown out of Nandigram. We must take into account the fact that the Nandigram
issue has caused deep scars in West Bengal’s body politic, putting a whole range of
people, such as performing artists, intellectuals and even CPM’s fellow parties
in the Left Front against the CPM.
The CPM has tried to justify its action in Nandigram by
saying that a large number of Maoists had gained entry in Nandigram and,
therefore, it was necessary to
uproot them. But this is a myth which seems to have deluded some people in Delhi as well. There is
no evidence to show Maoists’ entry in Nandigram in any significant way.
The statement by West Bengal’s
Home Secretary, Prasad Ranjan Roy on Tuesday, November 13 that no Maoist was
found yet in the troubled town region, gives a lie to the CPM’s propaganda. No
Maoist has been arrested from the region. In fact the excuse given by the CPM
leaders about Maoists’ infiltration in Nandigram sounds very much like George
Bush’s excuse to attack Iraq
on the grounds of the presence of weapons of mass
destruction, while the UN specialists were not able to detect any such WMD in Iraq.
Most importantly, the Calcutta High Court has confirmed the
nationwide impression about the
scandalous happenings in Nandigram. It ruled on November 16 that the police
firing in Nandigram was “unconstitutional and not justifiable.” What is more,
the Court once again asked the CBI to launch a full-fledged inquiry into the
police firing and submit a report within a month. All in all, what has happened
in Nandigram is a matter of great shame. Unless
strong corrective action is taken, West Bengal
might gradually get pushed towards a civil war, which would cost the nation
dearly. ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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