Question: The Central Government has rejected the demand for a judicial enquiry in the Purulia Arms drop case. Do you think there is a political motive involved?
Biman Bose: Obviously there is a political motive behind the statement of the CBI and the Home Ministry on the Purulia Arms drop case. Going by the parliamentary records, the central intelligence agencies and CBI have never overruled the foreign conspiracy angle into the Purulia arms drop in 1995. Now, when certain issues have once again come into limelight through media exposé, the Central government should institute a judicial enquiry and uncover the exact facts and the role of internal and external reactionary forces.
Since government is on the backfoot on the issue of arms drop, they are not giving proper explanations. How could a foreign aircraft, with foreign crew, with such a huge consignment of arms and ammunitions fly into Indian airspace? This is a very important issue concerning the safety, security and sovereignty of our country. Air surveillance is controlled by the department of civil aviation and the Indian Air Force. This mechanism can easily detect any plane intruding the Indian airspace. Why did this go undetected? How did the aircraft land and then fly out of Chennai after the arms drop? How did a person who was in the plane escape after it landed in Mumbai?
The latest official clarification is an eyewash. Instead of clearing the air it has further raised a volley of questions. How could this incident occur when the Government of India is the custodian of the Indian airspace and is responsible for keeping it free from foreign intrusion? Neither has this been answered nor explanation given on how a person involved in the arms drop escaped from the country. Whether the claims made in the recent exposé by a TV channel are correct or wrong is immaterial. The basic question remains how this could happen and this must be clarified by the CBI and the Home Ministry.
Question: Do you see a similar conspiracy behind the recent turmoil witnessed in the state?
Biman Bose: A similar type of conspiracy can not take place since the methodology of the conspiracy used earlier has already been exposed once. But the way the opposition is spending money in the election campaign, whose source is not being clarified, hints towards external funding. A lot of money is being spent on helicopters and advertisements in TV channels, newspapers and private radio stations. The opposition in West Bengal does not undertake any mass fund collection. Where is this money coming from?
The way in which they (Trinamool) have made bank drafts by using cash and not issuing cheques is also a serious matter. This has created a lot of doubts in people's minds. It is possible that reactionary forces at the national or international level are pumping in this money. It is being heard that some Mauritius based companies which have branches in India are supplying huge amounts of cash for the opposition's election campaign. This may have some connection with certain national or international conspirators.
Question: It is being alleged that the BJP, by putting up candidates in all the assembly seats is dividing the opposition votes and helping the Left Front. Your reaction…
Biman Bose: This is a funny question, raised by the Congress and the Trinamool. We know that the BJP is a communal, divisive force and its agenda is to divide the people. Now, I find that the way Trinamool and Congress are saying all this, clearly exposes that the same social base which aligns with the BJP also comprises their own vote bank. The Congress and the Trinamool do not fight against communalism and hence they are accusing the BJP of dividing their votes.
We've said earlier also that the Congress, Trinamool and the BJP have the same class character. They do not work for people's betterment and only advance the interests of a select clique. How is the Left Front to blame if the BJP is contesting all the seats? The Left Front has got nothing to do with who else is contesting how many seats in West Bengal. The Left Front only decides its own candidates for the elections.
Question: What is your response to the Home Minister's charge that West Bengal is the "worst governed state"?
Biman Bose: This is a bogus charge and it has never been corroborated. The Prime Minister himself had dubbed the Chief Minister of West Bengal as one of the best Chief Ministers in the country and West Bengal as the best governed state. The Home Minister had himself spoken on similar lines earlier saying that the West Bengal government is tackling the Maoist problem effectively.
How is it that in terms of rural development through panchayats, West Bengal ranks 4th in the country after Kerala, Karnataka and Sikkim among the 28 states? The Prime Minister himself gave away these awards in a function held at Vigyan Bhawan on 24th April. If the Home Minister's charge is correct, how could West Bengal make such progress in rural development?
Question: Is the Election Commission undertaking effective steps to tackle violence and intimidation during the forthcoming phases?
Biman Bose: The functioning of the Election Commission in the East Midnapore district is questionable. Unfortunately, the EC officials are not being able to understand the political scenario of East Midnapore. For the past two and a half years, major disturbances have been created by the Trinamool-Maoist combine in certain areas of East Midnapore. Quite a few thousand families were driven out of their homes and hearth. These people could return to their homes only after the local administration provided some protection.
During the election campaign, the opposition has forcibly prevented these people from participating in the election campaign. The attention of the EC has been repeatedly drawn towards this situation, but so far they have been unable to restrain the hoodlums patronized by the TMC and Maoists. Given this situation, free and fair poll - in at least a couple of seats in East Midnapore - is not possible.
Question: The tribal areas of Jangalmahal will be voting in the final phase. What are the issues before the people of that region?
Biman Bose: Given the present situation in Jangalmahal, the most important issue is the restoration of peace and normalcy. Today people want to go to their workplaces safely. Students and teachers want to go to their institutions safely. Agricultural labourers and farmers want to go to their land for cultivation and harvesting. Because of the activities of the Maoist-Trinamool alliance, peace has been badly disrupted.
The weekly haats, used by people to buy their daily necessities, are not functioning normally. Repeated bandhs by the TMC-Maoist combine have badly affected normal life. Daily life has come to a standstill. Forest dwellers want to exercise their rights on forest produce without any intimidation or terror. In the present elections, establishment of peace and democracy and the restoration of normalcy is the main issue in Jangalmahal. The poorer sections, particularly the tribals, are fighting in defence of their rights and for development.
