From
Socialism To Barbarism?
By Akhila Raman
04 April, 2007
Countercurrents.org
Be it Right or Left, it is becoming
increasingly clear that Governments across the world are eager to get
in bed with the corporations. The message is clear in West Bengal: Economic
development will be pursued at any human cost. Protesters will be brutally
dealt with and killed if required. Critics will be vilified. Facts will
be fudged to justify brutal actions. The Ugly Might of the State has
descended in an unholy manner on the farmers in Singur and Nandigram.
How can CPIM reconcile its conflicting history of admirable land reforms
in West Bengal with the recent brutal repression of farmers in its desperate
bid of industrialization?
"The Communist Party
of India (Marxist) is the revolutionary vanguard of the working class
of India. Its aim is socialism and communism through the establishment
of the state of dictatorship of the proletariat. In all its activities
the Party is guided by the philosophy and principles of Marxism-Leninism
which shows to the toiling masses the correct way to the ending of exploitation
of man by man, their complete emancipation. " ? CPIM
website[1]
Thus reads the website of
Communist Party of India-Marxist(CPIM). Its stated aim and ideals are
lofty. Practice is becoming increasingly shameful. The CPIM led Left
Front came to power in West Bengal in 1977 with the promise of achieving
socialism and has continued to win every election ever since, largely
due to the land reforms through the 80's, which did benefit large sections
of the toiling masses[2]. Lately though, the Party is increasingly becoming
indistinguishable from the Right.
Singur Blues
The Chief Minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharya has issued an open invitation to all and sundry in the
investment sector to come and set up shop in West Bengal.[3] Strange
Bedfellows? He even offered to acquire the land for Ratan Tata to set
up a small car factory near Singur. It so happened that the land Tata
wanted was multi-cropped land in fact. Hence it became necessary for
CPIM to fudge the facts and use outdated survey records to portray it
as a mono-cropped land, thus going back on its declared promise that
multi-cropped land will not be acquired for industrialization. [4] [5]
Buddhadeb had stated in early
December that they had obtained consent from the farmers to acquire
932 acres of land before the fencing of the area began in December.[6]
Later, the Government was forced to admit that the consent had been
for only 586 acres of land, prior to fencing[7] Which implies, once
fencing began in early December, the farmers who had not given consent
were under pressure to sell the land else they would lose the land anyway.
Naturally, the toiling masses
of Singur rose in rebellion against a Government which was exploiting
them rather than emancipating them. The moving video "Abadbhumi"
which documents in detail the dissent of the farmers against this exploitation,
leaves one in little doubt.[8] Predictably, all kinds of groups rushed
to Singur in support, which ranged from politically motivated Mamata
Banerjee of Trinamool Congress to selfless grassroots activists like
Medha Patkar and numerous human rights groups. Brinda Karat of CPIM
was quick to equate Medha with Mamata, denouncing the former, in an
unedited draft article circulated among CPIM lists. [9] Here she was
behaving exactly as her counterparts in the Right normally do.
Then the Might of the State
was unleashed upon the same toiling masses who had dared to question
their exploitation. They were intimidated and beaten along with the
opposition protesters, which has been documented by reputed human rights
groups.[5] Karat and Buddhadeb predictably denied[9] that there was
any brutality against the farmers. In their eyes, anyone who protested
against the car factory necessarily were allied with the opposition
goons and deserved to be beaten up. [ Reminds one of Bush's maxim?:"You
are either with us or against us" ] In the meanwhile, the rape
and murder of 18-year old Tapasi Malik inside the fenced area in Singur
is yet to be resolved and Singur farmers continue to protest.
What really happened
in Nandigram?
Next stop in the spree of
agricultural land-grab for industrialization is Nandigram. The farmers
in Nandigram began to be intimidated by the rogue elements of the CPIM.
Troubled by the events in Singur, they rose in protest against any forceful
aquisition of their multi-cropped agricultural lands and refused to
let the CPIM cadres and the police inside their village. [Sure enough,
the situation was taken advantage of by opposition parties which had
dug up roads and cut off access to Nandigram.] What followed next is
a tale of carnage: On March 14th, the police fired indiscriminately
into a crowd of unarmed people of Nandigram, killing 14 persons and
injuring hundreds including women, men and children. Many young women
were raped by anti-social elements.[10] Eyewitness reports suggest that
the people who fired at the crowd included uniformed police and CPIM
goons in fact and that many children were brutally torn apart, killed
and thrown into the pond.[11] From Socialism to Barbarism?
Predictably, Buddhadeb defended
his actions saying that the protesters were armed and were allied with
opposition and that the brutality had to be carried out.[12] In left-wing
elists, many long time defenders of the CPIM continue to defend it in
similar vein. But, on-the-ground investigation and fact-finding reports
by reputed human rights organizations APDR and PBKMS, based on eye-witness
testimonies of 62 patients and 200 villagers, make it clear that many
of the people killed and injured were in fact unarmed people of Nandigram,
including women and children who were standing up to the organized intimidation
tactics of some elements inside the CPIM, some of whom have been identified.[11]
Now, CPIM has been forced to scrap the project in Nandigram, but at
tragic cost to the locals. It may be that the actual brutality on farmers
was perpetrated by a small minority of CPIM cadres, but the Party needs
to own up the responsibility and punish such rogue elements.
Emancipation of the
masses?
Where does this leave CPIM
with its conflicting history of admirable land reforms in West Bengal
and the recent high-handed repression of farmers in Singur and Nandigram?
From lofty ideals of emancipating the toiling masses from exploitation
to blatant wooing of corporations and taking the side of the latter
against the toiling masses? It seems now that it rather stands for the
Emancipation of the upper and middle classes as opposed to the proletariat.
Notwithstanding its past progressive land reforms, lately it seems to
be allying itself with the corporations against the masses.
If it is true that the State
of West Bengal is indeed in desperate need of industrialization and
has to move on with the times, then why not do it in a more just and
equitable manner? One fair compensation to the farmers could be to give
them equity in the proposed car factory, in addition to a fair sale
price for the land . If the Tatas make profit, which they will, then
why not share the spoils with the farmers who give up their lands? Why
should the farmers of Singur and Nandigram make all the sacrifice for
the development of the State, while the benefits of resulting industrialization
will mostly benefit the upper and middle classes, with very little "trickle-down
effect" to these farmers?
It may be worthwhile for
Buddhadeb and CPIM defenders to listen to the following impassioned
words of a farmer in Singur:
" Why cannot the Government
and the Tatas leave our multi-cropped agricultural lands and instead
build the car factory in fallow lands located just a few kilometers
away? " ? Excerpt from documentary film "Abadbhumi"[8]
[ The author is a researcher based in California. Full Text of the article
with detailed references can be found in: Singur
and Nandigram ]
References:
[1]AIM
of CPIM, website of CPIM
[2] Progress
and challenges in West Bengal, The Frontline, Aug 2004.
Political
Economy of Land Reforms in West Bengal
[3] `We
are an investment-friendly government' , Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
Buddhadeb
wooing Dow Chemicals of Bhopal gas leak infamy
[4] Headline
Singur , Amitadyuti Kumar
"Avijit Mukherjee, the
BDO of the block said?it is Singur because the official records show
this area is marked as ?single-cropped?, non-irrigated or ?barren?.
These records were based on surveys dating back to 1990. During the
last 15 years, in the proposed Tata Motors site, the peasants have got
installed 35 shallow pumps, 28 of which with their own money. In addition,
there are three deep-tube wells. The two rivulets, the Zulkia and the
Kunti ? flowing along the either sides provide a substantial irrigational
facility. In the dry season these rivulets and the DVC (Damodar Valley
Corporation?s dams) release irrigate the fields. How can such land be
called single-cropped, barren or non-irrigated?"
[5] THE
PUBLIC HEARING AND FURTHER INVESTIGATION ON THE STRUGGLE BY THE PEOPLE
OF SINGUR
"The land to be affected
is the prime agricultural land with multiple cropping , growing paddy,
jute and rich and varied vegetables which is the sources of livelihood
for those thousands of families"
[6] Full
protection to Tatas: Buddhadeb, The Hindu Dec 1
[7] 'No
consent for acquiring 411 acres of land', Times of India Dec 16
Status
Report on Singur
[8] Abadbhumi:
video on singur
[9]
Brinda Karat: Truth about Singur
[10] Nandigram
rape: CPM man owns up, The Statesman, March 20
Outsider
role in Nandigram, Times of India, March 20
[12] Buddhadeb's
statement on Nandigram
[11] Report
of Investigation Into Nandigram Mass Killings, Association for Protection
of Democratic Rights(APDR) and Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity(PBKMS),
March 23,2007
Full
Text of Report
Excerpts from the
Report:
"According to the villagers
and wounded people, there were many goons and leaders of the CPI (M)
party with the police during the police violence...There are many complaints
of horrific and deliberate acts of violence during this phase and afterwards...Women
were taken away and raped..."
Sequence of events
The testimonies and discussions
with eyewitnesses and victims (patients) of the firing show that the
sequence of events given by all these people is more or less the same.
The sequence given below is based on the testimonies of 62 patients
and about 200 villagers whom we met.
People were aware that there
would be an attempt by the police and party goons to re-enter the area
as a first step towards taking over their land. They decided to offer
peaceful resistance by organising a Gouranga Puja (incidentally Gouranga
is the God believed to be protector of the people nearby). They also
planned a Koran recitation ceremony. Once this programme was known,
people flocked to the spots where the Puja and Koraan rectals were being
held. At Bhangabera the Puja was in a trench that had been cut in the
road earlier. About 5,000-6,000 people were present, of which 3000 were
women and about 400-500 were children. The people were unarmed as they
were in religious ceremonies. The women and children decided to stand
in front as the people assumed that the police would not be that much
violent with women and children.
A large police force with
firearms and tear gas arrived in vehicles and buses on the Khejuri side
of the Talpatti Khal in the morning. They were accompanied by many armed
CPM goons. They were also carrying truckloads of road repair equipments
and materials. At Bhangabera Bridge, [1]they first filled up a large
trench near the bridge. None opposed this. They then began advancing
across the bridge. There seems to have been no prior warning. It eas
reported that, Anup Mondal of the CPM was using a hand mike, but most
barring a few nearby heard nothing and were not forewarned about the
police action. Without any proper warning the police-CPI(M) combine
began throwing bombs and tear gas shells. This blinded the crowd and
created confusion and panic. At ths juncture, the the police-CPI(M)
combine began firing from various firearms and advancing further while
firing. Operations, including the firing and the filling up of the trench
seemed to have been planned earlier. While the firing continued for
about 15 minutes, other forms of violence followed for the next hour
and a half or so.
There are many complaints
of horrific and deliberate acts of violence during this phase and afterwards.
Those rescuing the wounded were prevented from doing so. Pushpendu Mondal,
S/O Beni Madhab Mondal , Vill ? Gangra, Nandigram received bullet injuries
in his belly and right hand. Pulin Behari Mondal (his neighbour) tried
to take him for hospitalisation but due to lathi charge by the police,
Pulin fled the place. Police and goons took Pushpendu away forcibly.
Women were taken away and raped. Women who tried to hide or wash their
burning eyes in ponds were forced to come out and then beaten up again.
Houses and shops were looted. Instead of using minimum force necessary
to disperse the unarmed people gathered there, maximum possible force
appear to have been applied to instil fear and terror in people, to
break their morale and teach them a lesson. The large presence of armed
CPI(M) men, many also in police fatigue injected the element of vengeance
and revenge in the operation.
Violence and Murder
of Children
Along with women, children
who were present in huge numbers to participate and witness the puja
also wore the brunt of the police firing and lathicharge. Scores of
people have alleged that children were torn apart, hurled into ponds
and killed. Many people have testified to children being shot at and
killed. (See annexure 2).
"....I witnessed women
being dragged away by the police and they were also throwing small children
into the pond..."Satyabala Mani W/o Anadhi Mandal. Residence-Soudkhali
Char
"......They killed children-they
shot, hacked and even tore them apart with their two legs..." Lata
Mondal w/o Shakun Mondal. Residence- Gokulnagar
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