Mass Protests in Bengal
Subinoy Moulik
WITH people’s anger against poor governance, rampant corruption and politician-criminal nexus growing stronger every day, Bengal’s current political landscape is densely dotted with protest movements. The wave of protests is encompassing a significant section of general working people, thus adding an important dimension to mass activism. Marches and rallies are being held almost daily against the misrule and authoritarianism of the TMC government. Intimidated by the breakdown of the TMC-BJP binary and the resurgence of the invigorated Left democratic and secular forces, the ruling class is now conspiring to divide the democratic movements into communal channels as the recent incidents of violence triggered by the Ram Navami processions amply demonstrate. But this divisive politics will ultimately prove pointless as the voice of the people cannot be silenced anymore.
Responding to the appeal of the Left Front, Congress leaders and workers participated in a march in Kolkata on March 29 protesting against deprivation of the Centre and non-disbursal of central funds and also against Trinamool's rampant corruption and misuse of funds. The Left Front activists and Congress workers marched together from the Ramlila Maidan in Moulali in central Kolkata to the Park Circus Ground in a huge procession, raising slogans to save the country from Modi and to make the state free from corruption by ousting the Trinamool. After the rally, Left Front chairman Biman Basu said, "We are ready to fight shoulder-to- shoulder with all those who want to fight against Trinamool and the BJP."
CPI (M) state secretary Mohammad Salim said that when people in Bengal are rising against plunderers, the culprits, Trinamool and BJP, are joining hands to survive. People are united against this and are determined to reclaim their rights. Trinamool and BJP want to divide people on purely religious lines. But the people of Bengal want to unite and fight against both these anti-people forces.
Congress leader Asit Mitra said that the Congress also wants to have Left Front as an ally to fight against Trinamool and the BJP. This is how we have to fulfill our political responsibilities, he added.
On the same day, both the BJP and the Trinamool held programmes in the heart of Kolkata and played mock-fights between themselves to confuse the people. While the chief minister herself sat on a dharna, her nephew Abhishek Banerjee held a meeting at the Shaheed Minar Maidan. But it was clear from the joint procession of the Left Front and Congress that people will no longer be fooled with such “cheap” politics.
A two-day campaign and agitation programme at the initiative of the Left Front started at the district level to demand central government allocation for 100 days work and against the corruption of the state’s ruling party at the panchayat level. In the rural areas, a series of street corner rallies and marches were held. The Left Front marched centrally in Kolkata on March 29 as part of its programme against the central government's suspension of allocations to the 100-day work scheme in West Bengal, hurting the interests of the state's citizens, and against the rampant corruption of the Trinamool government. Responding to the appeal of the Left Front, Congress workers joined the procession from the state Congress headquarters, Bidhan Bhawan. Holding red flags and Congress flags together, the Left Front and Congress workers raised slogans from the rally, ' Modi Hatao Desh Bachao’. Trinamool Hatao, Bangla Bachao'. Left Front leaders including Biman Bose, Mohammad Salim, CPI(M) leaders Surya Mishra, Srideep Bhattacharya, Rabin Deb, Congress leader Asit Mitra, Forward Bloc Bangla committee secretary Naren Chatterjee, CPI state secretary Swapan Banerjee, RSP general secretary Manoj Bhattacharya led the march.
After the rally Biman Basu said at Park Circus that the central government has deprived the people of West Bengal by stopping the allocation for NREGA. “Even if it’s true that there has been misuse of funds, what is the fault of the people of the state?” he asked. In case of corruption in central projects, there are provisions of punishment for it in the central law. “Why deprive people of the state without taking steps accordingly?” he wanted to know.
Biman Basu also blamed the Trinamool for all the corruption including job scam in the state, saying that qualified candidates in the education sector are not getting jobs, and the Trinamool leaders are pocketing loads of money from illegal recruitment! A bigger scam than the Vyapam scam in recruitment has happened in West Bengal, he commented.
Biman Basu said, “Journalists often ask me whether we, Left and Congress, will fight together in the panchayat elections. We are saying, not only panchayat elections, but we want to unite people in any election to fight against BJP and Trinamool.”
CPI state secretary Swapan Banerjee presided over the meeting at the end of the march. Forward Bloc Bengali committee secretary Naren Chatterjee, RSP leader Subhash Nashkar, Congress leaders Asit Mitra and Ashutosh Chatterjee also spoke in the meeting. After the meeting, Biman Basu said in response to the questions of the journalists, there is no use trying to mislead people by accusing the left of corruption when the investigation against the corruption of the ruling party on the orders of the court is putting TMC leaders behind the bars one after another every other day! Rather, those who think that the Left has committed corruption during their tenure should file a case in the court and arrange an investigation by the CBI /ED on the orders of the court.
MARTYRDOM ANNIVERSARY
OF SUDIPTO GUPTA
April 2, 2013 the day of assassination of Sudipto Gupta was a black day in India's student movement. The 22-year-old SFI leader died in police custody in Kolkata during a protest. He has emerged as the spearhead of struggle for democratic rights in the campuses of the country. On the 10th martyrdom anniversary of Sudipto Gupta, a call was given from a central rally in Kolkata in the state for restoration and protection of democratic space in campuses and to fight to restore rights in the education sector in general. Speaking at the rally in front of Dinesh Majumdar Bhavan, state SFI/DYFI office, the former leader of the youth movement and the leader of the mass movement Mohammad Salim said that the young generation will be able to free the state from the clutches of the corrupt regime and restore democracy. The student community has shown that the voice of the Left cannot be suppressed by police atrocities. The Left movement in the state is getting stronger with the young generation in the forefront.
Four left-wing student organizations – SFI, AISF, PSU and AISB – organised the student rally on the death anniversary. On their invitation, leaders of Chhatra Parishad and AISA also attended the meeting. Calling for building up campus-to-campus resistance against the Modi government and the Trinamool government in unison, the leaders said, "Despite the killing of one Sudipta Gupta, a thousand Sudiptas have stood up. Sudipta, Saifuddin, Anis can be killed but cannot be defeated. The one lakh increase in the number of SFI members in the state last year is proof of this growing strength.
This fighting spirit of the new generation Left found expression on the AJC Bose Road, a long stretch of the northbound lane of the road was completely occupied in the afternoon when procession after procession of students started coming from different parts of Kolkata carrying cut-outs of Sudipta Gupta, raising slogans and singing songs. Mohammad Salim released a special issue of SFI's mouthpiece Chhatra Sangram magazine in memory of Sudipta Gupta from the rally stage. The meeting ended with a recorded portion of a song sung by Sudipta Gupta.
The meeting was presided over by SFI state president Pratik-ur- Rahaman and addressed by SFI all India general secretary Mayukh Biswas, joint secretary Dipsita Dhar, state secretary Srijan Bhattacharya, and leaders from AISF, PSU, AISB, Chhatra Parishad and AISA.
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