[Reader-list] Lalgarh does not exist

[subhrodip sengupta]

Dear Rakesh,
These tribals were once cultivators of fertile soils, and at places collectors from forests. From Hindu, Jain and later Christian and Muslim origins, in thi They were pushed back towards forests as land became scarce and with cleaning of forests settled as per convinience. Or used in movements. And then Forgotten. Alas the common people of towns have to suffer to such extents nowadays, along with rebels, just to ensure freedom to torture innocents. And After all they pay neither the journalists or media, nor do they look attractive at all, swaeting under the sultry heat of summer. AC rooms are more comfortable, I guess lol!
Regards.


________________________________
From: Rakesh Iyer <rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com>
To: subhrodip sengupta <sub_sengupta at yahoo.co.in>
Cc: cashmeeri <cashmeeri at yahoo.com>; Readers list Yousuf Sarai. <reader-list at sarai.net>
Sent: Tuesday, 23 June, 2009 3:38:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Lalgarh does not exist

Dear Subhrodip

I appreciate your concern about the displacement of tribals, which has not at all been looked at in the media. It is certainly true that the media has presented the situation in Lalgarh the way the CPI(M) would like us all to believe. The fact is that it's the way the police handled the situation after the blasts involving two Union Ministers and the current CM of Bengal, last year. The police insulted the tribals instead of catching the culprits, and certainly the CPI(M) cadre would have had a role to play, for in Bengal, I don't think there would be a difference between the government, the party cadre and the police. 

The Left, while talking about providing rights to the poor and the downtrodden, has totally forgotten its ideological stand, and has thus stood against the very goal it wanted to achieve: political, social and economic empowerment of the poor. The Left has systematically destroyed institution after institution, and the fine line between the govt. and the party has been blurred, as the party seems to be the overriding institution to decide everything. If one looks at field of culture, all organizations related to the govt. and culture dept. are having Leftist intellectuals. If one thinks about police, it's loyalty to the CPI(M) which matters more rather than maintenance of law and order. 

The Left has even used the mechanism of decentralization of power to extend its power down to the village panchayat level. In a normal situation, this would have helped the people to get power in their own hands. Instead, the Left has totally misused this situation. Now the poor, the migrants, the Muslims and the tribals are systematically kept poor and downtrodden. The govt. schemes are meant to serve the interests only of the CPI(M) supporters in each village. Others are simply omitted. Loyalty is the factor which decides whether one gets help or not. Even in the recent Cyclone Alia, there was news that the CPI(M) panchayats were distributing aid only to their supporters who were affected, and others were simply ignored.. 

What's more is that the Leftists were at least earlier known for not using resources by govt. for their personal economics. Now of course, it's a different ball game. Under the current Bengal govt., many such things have come to light. Look at Nandigram and Singur, and the way the police indulged in shooting rather than trying out other methods. Killing of people even by the police under deteriorating law and order situation should be the last step, and should be tried only if the situation can't be under control. Instead, like in the rest of the country, the Bengal police proved their incompetency by shooting first, and the Bengal govt. also proved theirs by killing and then talking. 

Then came news in the media about how the CPI(M) cadres were getting rich in the villages by diverting resources obtained through the govt. machinery for private purposes. Only CPI(M) cadres could be present in the poverty line scheme. Supporters of other parties would not be allowed even to attend panchayat meetings, and even if a handful of them did so, during passing of financial budget or discussion of other schemes, they would simply be shouted down upon. And now of course, we have Lalgarh, where if Left cadres can't be there, it's wrong, but if the Left had it, all cadres from all other parties would be wiped out and sent out of Bengal. 

Of course, the Left has changed the nature of the state so much, that today the situation, at the village level at least, is not dictated so much so by caste or sex, as by party affiliations. And whenever the Left failed its power waning, they have resorted to violence both through the party machinery and through the govt. machinery. This way, the Left has resorted to killing the TC activists, and even Congress and other activists. 

The state is now polarized on party lines, and since the Left has obstructed any kind of democratic opposition to rise through non-violent methods, the only method left for the Opposition to survive is by violence. This is what we have seen too. The Trinamool Congress is no better than the Left in its record of violent acts. Infact, now that the police has begun to feel that the Trinamool may come back to power in the 2011 Assembly elections, they have probably forgotten to support the CPI(M) cadres, which is why we now keep hearing news of the Left activists being killed in villages where only Trinamool cadres exist. 

So now, all kind of democracy is brought to a halt. Dissent has been dealt with through violence. And villages are classified as Left or Trinamool ones. This is utterly disgusting, and one of the most destructive features of the Left govt., for which the Left mainly, and so also in part the Trinamool is responsible. And Mamta Banerjee doesn't inspire hope that if she does come to power in Bengal, things will change too much from there. 

Regarding the current situation in Lalgarh, I feel that the govt. should not have simply sent forces first. The first option, in any case, as in this one, would have been to see if there are any possibilities of talks. After all, in this case, the PSBJC has stated that they are ready for talks, and since they have formed in short term to protest the atrocities inflicted by the police on them (in the name of investigating the Lalgarh blasts 2008) and in long term to ensure development of the tribals, the Central govt. should have instead asked the State govt to first think of talks. 

It seems however that the Congress was thinking of supporting the Left as well, just in case they lost out Mamta's support. Which is why the forces were sent and violence as an option has been considered. 

Anyways, more than the Army, it's the CRPF which has been notoriously involved in most of the cases which have tarnished the image of the defence forces. In Chhatisgarh, they have been found in numerous reports, indulging along with Salwa Judum activists in rapes, murders and killings, stealing of pigs, cows, and burning of homes. Is this what the CRPF is meant for? In the North East, it's they who seem to create most of the troubles in the name of the AFSPA. And I recently read a news item saying that the CRPF which was sent to troubled Assam during the period of communal violence (I believe between Bodos and Muslims), two of them were involved in raping a girl. Probably the CRPF needs to be given a shock treatment when such incidents are on a rise. (I don't believe there should be armies required in the world at all, for they only distort our views to justify their relevance. However, the inevitable fact is that no state is going to withdraw its army,
 and so what we must strive to do is to balance out our views, and let them not commit wrong deeds in the name of defence activities.)

It is also shameful that Maoists have been declared terrorists, without realizing why people support them. For 60 years, you couldn't bring development to tribals, and your machinery colluded with party cadre for 32 years to ensure tribals were oppressed and cheated. Now that a group of people come and ask the tribals to fight against you, are they actually terrorists? They don't even want a new state. What they want is development, and why can't we talk with them, sit down and discuss issues. After all, creation of the Maoists is a failure of our model of development, and the sooner or later the Indian state realize this, the better for us. 

Regards

Rakesh


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