Ø       DURING our 34 years of rule, Bengal was in the forefront of rice production.  There were no communal riots.  There were regular local body elections and we were the model for all other states in the field of land reforms. In other fields like education, health, nutrition, life expectancy, industrialisation, we were far behind several other states.  Today, tens of thousands of Bengali youth are coming to Kerala, since in Kerala, the wages are 3 or 4 times higher than Bengal.  Why has this happened?

Our Party in Bengal is now functioning under the repressive policies of TMC.  More than 200 of our cadres were killed. Our Party offices are attacked and dozens of them are forcefully annexed. Thousands of our comrades are forced to flee.  We are denied all democratic rights.  Our leaders are unable to file even nominations to local body or college union elections. The corporate media in Kerala particularly campaigns that during our 34 years rule, this was what happened in Bengal since TMC was denied of all democratic rights!

Please comment.

Sathya Kumar C, Trivandrum, Kerala

IN the 34 years of Left Front government, West Bengal made significant progress on various fronts.  As you have pointed out land reforms were conducted, agriculture developed with rice production reaching the highest in the country and there were regular panchayat elections with decentralised powers.  West Bengal also became a model for communal harmony where no communal riots occurred. In the first two decades, there was substantial increase in primary education and health services. Infant mortality and maternal mortality rates decreased substantially. The working class and other sections of the working people were assured of their right to organisation. 

However, there were shortcomings too in the provision of basic services.  Over a period, the quality of education and health systems did not improve. After liberalisation and the neo-liberal policies, the state government, which was committed not to go ahead with privatisation of basic services, fell short of resources for expanding and improving education, health and other social sectors. 

As for your reference to large number of Bengali workers migrating to Kerala for work, this is because Kerala has the highest wage rates both for agricultural labour and other forms of manual labour. This is due to the strength of the movement of the working class and also because of the shortage of labour due to large-scale migration from Kerala to the Gulf countries. Migration to Kerala is taking place not only from West Bengal, but the entire Eastern region such as Odisha, Bihar and Assam. As far as West Bengal is concerned, the lack of industrialisation and creation of new job opportunities has also contributed to the migrant flow.

The review of the assembly elections of 2011 by the Central Committee has pinpointed the political, organisational and administrative factors which were responsible for the defeat in the elections and the Left Front government going out of office. There was also the factor of terror and violence unleashed against the CPI(M) and the Left Front. Since then, the ruling party, the Trinamul Congress, has been unleashing violence and repression which are described in your question. However, the justification given by the corporate media and anti-Communist circles that this is retaliation for the violence and intimidation during Left Front rule is false and  motivated propaganda.  The Trinamul Congress, like other opposition parties, was able to function freely and fight elections. In fact, the Trinamul Congress won a substantial number of seats in the Lok Sabha elections in 1999 and in various assembly elections.  The TMC had run the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. At no time under the Left Front rule were student organisations physically driven out of colleges and campuses.

What has been witnessed in West Bengal is an outright attack on democracy and democratic rights. It is not only the CPI(M) but other opposition parties are also subject to repression.  The CPI(M) and the Left Front are facing this repression with courage and determination and is going to the people  even under difficult conditions and conducting various struggles in defence of the interests of the working people. It is simultaneously carrying on the struggle to defend democracy and democratic rights. 

Ø       Why we, CPI(M), are not totally opposed to  Nuclear Power and Nucleartechnology?  We know that after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the great scientist Einstein was very much depressed.

Some Ultra Left parties are totally against Nuclear Research.  Some countries do not any do not carry out any research on nuclear power for reasons of public security. 

But why we CPI(M) are agreed to do research on it and want to explore this science.  Why do we support nuclear research?

Biswajit Ghosh, Baranagar, West Bengal

The CPI(M) has always differentiated between Nuclear Research, the use of Nuclear Energy for power generation and Nuclear Weapons.  While we have opposed Nuclear Weapons and have been associated with various movements for a Nuclear Weapon Free World, we have never supported the hypocrisy of powers like the USA who have tried to create an exclusive Nuclear Power Club which seeks to prevent nations of whom they disapprove from acquiring Nuclear Weapons.

We had supported indigenously developed Nuclear Reactors for civilian purposes and for the production of electric power.  We opposed the Nuclear Deal that the UPA Government entered into with the USA because it imposed conditions that compromised our rights to access sensitive nuclear technology and also impinged on an independent foreign policy. It also forced us to buy expensive, US nuclear reactors and because the US was insisting on excluding their companies from being liable in case of nuclear accidents.  (The Modi Government has also accepted these ruinous conditions). Today, many developments have made the issue of the safety of nuclear plants a critical one and we are demanding that indigenously developed reactors also adhere to the most rigorous safety conditions.  Environmental damage must also be evaluated and avoided.  In addition to this, we are opposed to such reactors being installed without the informed and democratically ascertained assent of local people.  Wherever there are struggles against such installations, the Government must refrain from proceeding.

Nuclear power cannot anymore be considered the optimum way to fulfill the energy requirements of our country.   Much more effort must be made to develop solar power, wind power and other alternatives to the use of fossil fuels.