TMC Government Undermining Democracy

Interview of Surjya Kanta Mishra, the Leader of Opposition, West Bengal State Legislative Assembly.

On the gross performance of the TMC-Congress Government…

I have said it several times that 'morning shows the day'. There is really not much to expect from this Government for several grounds. The steps, the Government has taken so far on various crucial issues of the state like, the Maoist activities in the Jangal Mahal areas and some other districts; problems in the hills and the adjoining areas, the deteriorating general law and order situation is full of contradictions. All-out attack on the Left Front leaders and activists' cadres has crated a 'reign of terror' in many areas. These attacks have already taken of more than 40 comrades so far. Among those who were brutally killed included women, tribal people, and other poor innocent minorities etc. 700 hundred Party Offices have either been closed or ransacked; more than 40,000 people have been evicted from their place of residence; and around 50 crores of rupees have been collected in the form of extortions. Thousands of people are injured and disabled to the rest of their lives. Hundreds including Left Front leaders and supporters, even former Ministers have been taken in custody using false allegations like 'recovery of arms' and 'skeleton cases'. All democratic institutions are being left defunct starting from the panchayat bodies, cooperatives, school managing committees and university councils and students unions and so on so forth. Now they are going to promulgate brutal ordinance not only to undermine but ban the democratic participation of students in university bodies. All these are just uncalled for and unprecedented in our state.

On Jangal Mahal and GTA Controversy…

Everybody knows that they formed a grand alliance of reactionary forces with Congress, SUCI, Maoists, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and all other separatist forces; which we called a rainbow alliance that included extreme right to extreme left wing and it is further a grand coalition of anti left forces that has enabled her to come to power. The commitments that Mamata Banerjee made to these forces before election are now found to be quite unrealizable for the State Government to accomplish and contradictions are now gradually propping up.

On the one hand, TMC is trying to build up a criminal gang in Jangal Mahal; the Maoists on the other hand continue to perpetrate the atrocities. TMC earlier demanded withdrawal of joint forces but now it is TMC Government has urged for more forces from the center. However, they dithered on using joint forces for months, which has helped Maoists to reconsolidate.

The State Government practically is directionless. It is not comprehensible whether the Government wants peace and surrender of arms; and seven days time that the Chief Minister has given to Maoists has not been accepted by the Maoists and interlocutors. They have already called bandh in the Jangal Mahal areas; it is also not clear whether the interlocutors are working for the Government or as Maoists' spokespersons. The Maoists and TMC are blaming each other for breach of trust; that very obnoxious understanding they have arrived at before the elections to destabilise the Left Front Government.

So also, in the Hills where the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has reiterated their demand for the separate Gorkhaland even during the current visit of the CM in North Bengal; Chief Minister wants to make the hills Switzerland, but they otherwise want only Gorkhaland and not Switzerland at all.

Adibasi Bikas Parishad, on the contrary, has strongly opposed any inclusion of the Terai and Dooars in the proposed GTA area; the Kamtapuri leaders who have been released recently from prison, as per the commitment made by her, have reiterated the demand for a separate 'Kamtapuri' state; and all these show that the problems have propped up further; and there is no hope for any early solutions.

On Various Departments: Industrialization, Agriculture…

Those who once were interested in the industrialization process of the state, have been getting a negative portrayal of the whole system mechanism decided by the Government so far; at least nothing inspiring. The stand that the Government has taken on the acquisition of the land and the way the Government introduced a bill on Singur and got it passed in the Assembly, created a severe stagnation and jolt without any hope of immediate resolutions. The performance of the new Government specially in the power and infrastructure sectors creates a very negative portrayal of the state that provides a negative message to every industrialist. The utterances of the Chief Minister in the meeting of the chambers of commerce have provided no concrete hope so far about the industrialization process in the state including the IT sector.

Agriculture…

The hike in the fertilizer prices, and all input costs; the gradually declining prices in the agricultural commodities in the market are making the whole state agriculture system unviable for the farmers; particularly the producers of jute, paddy, potato etc. The gross failure of the Jute Corporation of India, Food Corporation of India and State Government to ensure minimum price to the farmer has crossed all limits of tolerance. The situation has not only decelerated the agricultural growth in the state; but generates no further employment for the agricultural labourers also. In the terms of man-days generated for NREGA, this state was graded one of the first four states in the during the previous Government and it reached now to the last four states. Millions of rural poor are now under severe inflationary pressure; i.e. high inflation rate, facing no food security from the State Government The totally unscientific criteria set up by the Planning Commission; to define poor and the BPL line together have a very adverse impact on the rural economy and agriculture in particular.

On Partisanship and Ordinance…

We represent the interests of the working people; the working class, peasantry and other toiling people. We always pursue a class partisanship; but the new Government represents whole hog partisanship based on their party affiliation, directed against economically and socially marginalized people in particular. Over 20000 sharecroppers, patta holders, and even riots have been evicted from their land by TMC led evictors along with the local administration. The democratic institutions, local administrative bodies have been made defunct. Elected bodies have been replaced by TMC's instruments in different types of educational institutions, cultural bodies, development authorities etc. The latest development shows that they are going to promulgate a brutal ordinance to ban non-teaching employees and students' democratic participation in University Councils. This is a severe blow on the democratic functioning of educational institutions that would definitely create a massive anarchy in the state.

Letters to the Chief Minister…

We reported details of these to CM through many letters. We have provided details of the atrocious acts committed on the people; with evidences of administration being used by the perpetrators of the crimes and not received any reply from her except one asking for more details. I provided all details possible, names, particulars of the residences of the evicted people; the persons who have been killed or missing; injured with their medical certificates; sometimes copies of the complaints lodged; most of the cases they were not allowed to lodge complaints; I wonder what more particulars she expects; what for the administration of the Government are there? It is their responsibility to get the particulars or the details.

Courtesy : CPIM Westbengal Website