Bengal: Panchayat Elections 2008

News from mainstream media on the Panchayat Elections.

*******************************

May 14 - present: Panchayat Election results, implications, and analysis available here.

*******************************

Left Front Allies shed each other’s blood

May 14: Growing tension between the RSP and the CPM over the past few months today culminated in the death of four supporters of the two parties during the panchayat polls in Basanti, South 24-Parganas.

Seven persons have been killed in poll-related violence since last night.

Eighteen people were killed on a single day of polling in 2003. However, the deaths five years ago were not in clashes between two Left Front partners.

Around 10.30am today, three RSP supporters, including a woman, were allegedly chased by CPM men when they were about to enter a polling booth in the Talda village panchayat area, 90km from Calcutta.

The RSP trio were yards away from their homes when they were fired at.

Madhusudan Halder, 23, son of RSP candidate Rampada, Kanak Sardar, 32, daughter of RSP leader Palan Halder, and Palan’s brother Ramkrishna, 58, died.

Police said a dozen RSP supporters suffered bullet and bomb injuries. They have been admitted to the Basanti block health centre.

The houses of Palan, Mangal Halder and Nimai Halder were looted and torched.

CPM activist Atiar Sheikh, 50, was hacked to death and bombed.

The CPM and the RSP had been engaged in a fierce turf war in the Basanti and Gosaba areas of South-24 Parganas in the run-up to the polls. Several top RSP leaders had visited Talda in the past few days and exhorted party activists “not to allow CPM any ground in Basanti and its adjoining areas’’.

The RSP, which has been critical of the CPM-led government’s move to acquire farmland for industries, had failed to arrive at a seat-sharing deal with the partner.

In the last elections, the two parties had no understanding in 80 per cent of the seats. This time, there were differences over 85 per cent of them.

RSP leader and irrigation minister Subhas Naskar alleged that Basanti police station had not taken any step despite being told earlier to deploy more policemen and make preventive arrests.

After today’s flare-up, a large contingent of police, Rapid Action Force and Border Security Force personnel were deployed in the village.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee called up PWD minister and senior RSP leader Kshiti Goswami to say he was deeply concerned at the loss of lives and urged for talks. “The incident is really unfortunate and shouldn’t have happened. I am sending more forces to Basanti tonight as there is a chance of retaliatory action. I want to request you to ask your party men to sit with our supporters and work out a solution. The home secretary is here. Please talk to him,” the chief minister was quoted as telling Goswami.

Goswami told the chief minister his party had demanded the deployment of the paramilitary in Basanti for the polls. “It was not done.”

Two CPM workers died last night while making bombs in Shantipur village in Nadia and a Congress supporter was killed by a bomb hurled at him in Howrah’s Domjur.

The first phase of the polls, on Sunday, had no casualties.

In 2005, 10 persons died in Murshidabad, where the CPM and the Congress clashed. In Canning and Kultali — in South 24-Parganas — a CPM duo died in an SUCI attack.

Home secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti said tonight that the government would probe why the violence erupted in Basanti despite “sufficient deployment of armed forces”.

District police chief Praveen Kumar said 10 people, including three policemen, were injured in Bishnupur, Budge Budge and Baruipur.

Four Trinamul Congress activists from Bishnupur were hospitalised in Calcutta with bullet injuries.

The election commission said polling was suspended in 33 booths, including 15 in Basanti following violence and allegations of booth jamming and ballot-paper snatching.

*****************************************************

Eight dead in second round of Panchayat elections

Statesman News Service

KOLKATA, May 14: Eight persons including an infant were killed and at least 45 others injured in separate incidents of violence since last night and during the second phase of panchayat polls in the state today.

While a series of clashes at Basanti in South 24-Parganas resulted in three Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) supporters being shot dead, allegedly by CPI-M supporters, and a CPI-M Krishak Sabha leader gunned down in retaliation, two CPI-M activists were killed when the crude bombs they were making exploded in the Lakshmikantapur area of Nadia last night.

In Howrah, a month-old baby who was in his mother’s arms as she headed out to vote in Panchla died when he slipped out of her arms as she panicked in the melee that followed CPI-M and Congress supporters throwing bombs at one another while a PDS supporter was killed in poll-related violence in Domjur.

The worst of the poll-related violence was reported from Basanti in South 24-Parganas where supporters of the RSP clashed with CPI-M cadres as both partners in the Left Front resorted to muscle-flexing to influence voting in the villages there. Police said three RSP supporters, Ram Halder, Madhusudan Halder and Kanika Halder, were allegedly shot dead by CPI-M activists during clashes at Amjhara village. RSP supporters also alleged that CPI-M cadres had set some of their houses on fire.

The clashes peaked at around 1 p.m. when polling in booths 17 and 18 at Haldarpara village in the Taldih area had to be stopped; the presiding officer apparently had a fainting fit when CPI-M activists forced their way inside the polling booths and went on the rampage. As the day wore on and a huge police contingent was deployed at the troubled spots in Basanti, there were reports that RSP activists had snatched two rifles from policemen. The car of SUCI MLA, Mr Deboprasad Sarkar, was allegedly vandalised by CPI-M activists at Raghunathpur in Joynagar. An hour later, a CPI-M Krishak Sabha leader, Aashian Sheikh, was killed by RSP supporters in Kharimachan. A defensive Mr Raj Kanojia, IG (law and order), said political violence had erupted despite the presence of RAF and BSF personnel in Basanti. Patrolling had begun yesterday itself, he said, asked to react to RSP Cabinet minister Mr Kshiti Goswami’s allegation that paramilitary forces were not taken to the sensitive areas by local police.

Two rifles snatched from policemen by RSP activists had been recovered, Mr Kanojia added. Meanwhile, the state home secretary, Mr AM Chakraborty said that the government will look into the allegations that BSF personnel remained inactive at Basanti and some policemen could not enter certain area of this locality.

In a separate poll-related incident in Howrah, police said one person, a PDS supporter was killed and seven others, including a police constable and homeguard, were injured at Najibpur village during violence in booths under Karola gram panchayat. Police said that the victim was carrying a crude bomb to use it in the clash and it burst prematurely and killed him.

CPI-M workers allegedly kicked a pregnant woman in the stomach when she tried to protest after they started beating up her husband, a Trinamul Congress polling agent at a booth in Mohishgoha village under Chandrapur gram panchayat, Amta-I block in Howrah. Villagers alleged that after shooting at a Trinamul Congress supporter, and injuring him, CPI-M workers did not allow them to take the injured duo to the hospital.

In Nadia, two persons, both CPI-M activists, Shital Chowdhury (30) and Bhanu Pramanik (40) were killed while preparing crude bombs at Lakshmikantapur area last night and another CPI-M activist was allegedly stabbed by some miscreants.
Though polling was largely peaceful in Hooghly, allegations of agents of Opposition parties being assaulted and forced to leave polling stations and booths being captured by CPI-M cadres came in from Jangipara, Arambag, Pursura and Tarakeswar areas today.

Violence may have singed Basanti with four dead, several injured and huts set on fire, yet Mr Raj Kanojia, IG (law and order) felt that the second day of the panchayat election have been more or less peaceful barring some stray incidents. Death toll rose to five after one person died when the bombs he was carrying burst on his person at Panchla in Howrah, the IG said as he disassociated the the death of two CPI-M activists in Nadia and the death of an infant in Howrah from poll related violence.

********************************************

Singur votes as CM reviews work

Statesman News Service

KOLKATA, May 14: Even when the people of Singur voted today to give the state government a piece of their mind on the controversial small car project, the chief minister busied himself with reviewing the work of desilting canal and upgrading drainage system around the Tata Motors project in a bid to avoid last year’s situation when the site remained flooded for weeks after a heavy shower.

The chief minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, also held a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on industries and discussed industrialisation projects like a private airport and township at Ondal. It had been earlier decided that the 2300 acres of land required for the project would be purchased directly but now the state government is actively considering the land acquisition model after the rural polls. The sub-committee also discussed a project of manufacturing solar panels from silica to be set up at Haldia, an Indo-US joint venture with German technology.

Mr Bhattacharjee, who was unhappy with the progress of upgrading the drainage system around the project site in Singur, asked the officials of the irrigation department to expedite the work of desilting and excavating the Julkia canal and the Ghia-Kunti basin ahead of monsoon. While desiltation and excavation work would be completed before monsoon, construction of pump houses would take up longer and officials were apprehensive that if there was a deluge similar to last year, the site would once again be flooded.

The PWD was also asked to speed up construction of the approach of a new and broader bridge on the Ghia-Kunti after which the old bridge would be demolished and the canal excavated further.

It may be recalled that work for the small car project was held up for a month as the site remained flooded after a particularly heavy shower during last monsoon. Later, the state government announced a package for upgrading the drainage system in the area.

******************************************

Frame subordinates, scare DIG?

Biswabrata Goswami, The Statesman

NANDIGRAM, May 12: At a time when frayed tempers had reached a flashpoint yesterday following a molestation charge levelled against the DIG, CRPF, Mr Alok Raj, by the “women’s brigade” of the CPI-M, party functionaries got into the act quickly. They kept out his name from the official complaint lodged with Nandigram police yesterday, though publicly CPI-M supporters are keeping the pressure on the DIG. The women were reportedly “advised” to frame Mr Raj’s subordinate officers on the molestation charge as it would be more “believable”. Accordingly, Mr PK Chettri, commandant, Mr Prem Kumar Sigh, assistant commandant, Mr Kisan Singh, Inspector of CRPF and some CRPF jawans were named in the FIR.

“We never said that Mr Raj was directly involved in the molestation charge. We have accused him of instructing his subordinates to physically harass and beat up our women cadres. Instead of maintaining law and order, these CRPF men intentionally tortured our workers,” said Mr Ashok Guria, a district secretariat member of the CPI-M. According to CPI-M leaders, the complaint was lodged with the O-C, Nandigram, Mr Debasish Chakraborty, around 4.30 a.m. yesterday, though the alleged CRPF raid and the subsequent molestation had occurred around 4.30 p.m. on Saturday. Along with the three women ~ including a CPI-M gram panchayat candidate ~ who had brought the molestation charge against the CRPF personnel, two other persons, Mr Saktipada Manna and Mr Rameswar Paul, had also affixed their signatures on the complaint.

When the CPI-M gram panchayat candidate was asked about the charges that she had levelled against Mr Raj, she said: “I won’t say anything about the matter to you. The party will say everything. And what the party had instructed me, I only followed.” Asked whether she underwent any medical treatment, she remained tightlipped.

Coming down heavily on the CPI-M’s tactic to rein in the CRPF DIG, Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) leader Mr Abu Taher said: “The CPI-M tried to stop Mr Alok Raj from taking any action in order to restore peace in the trouble-torn villages of Nandigram by framing him on a false charge. But, they will not be able to do it because the people of Nandigram are with Mr Raj and the CRPF. The CPI-M leadership admitted the complainants in the FIR to the Kamarda and Haldia BC Ray Hospitals last night, more than 24 hours after the alleged incident, which speaks a lot about the truth in their statements,” Mr Taher alleged. Mr Rakesh Gupta, IG (western range), who was to initiate the probe today, reached the Nandigram police station this afternoon and spoke to the police officers there.

*******************************************

Hooghly and Singur on the eve of the Panchayat elections

Uddalak Mukherjee travels to poll-bound Hooghly to find out what it takes to silence a politically conscious electorate

After an hour’s drive along Delhi Road, I saw the first signs appear near Chinsurah. Party flags — mostly red and green-and-white — hung from electricity poles. The names of candidates and symbols were painted in bright colours on the mud walls.
It was a busy dawn in Chinsurah. The women walked briskly towards the market; men were already in the fields. Cloaked in the busyness was a kind of anticipation. People chatted animatedly, newspapers in hand, huddled in front of smoky tea stalls. Vans and rickshaws had been fitted with loudspeakers. It must be the polls, I thought. The panchayat elections are scheduled on May 14 here.

I wasn’t visiting Chinsurah. I was headed for Arambag and Singur, places that go to the polls on the same day. The markers of a democracy — the buntings, poll graffiti, slogans — kept me company along the highway. Not for long, though. They disappeared — as suddenly — as we entered Arambag. The briskness of Chinsurah had given way to a stifled, unnatural calm in this block. It was difficult to believe that the polls were then only a few days away.

National Election Commission observers have reported a number of uncontested seats for the elections to the gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zilla parishads. The contestants, allegedly from the ruling coalition, will win unchallenged, primarily because the Opposition has failed to put up candidates. In West Bengal, Hooghly, West Midnapore and Burdwan have traditionally had the largest share of such seats. This year, the tally —2,762 seats in 10 districts in the first two phases — has, reportedly, climbed down from 7,000 five years ago.

An uncontested seat should, theoretically, be an aberration in a democracy. But such exalted thinking has no place in a political system that has legitimized intimidation and terror as tools to secure power. A fair election is an anomaly here, much like everywhere else in India. This was evident from the data on a government website that was handed over to me by a helpful colleague in Chinsurah. It showed that in 2008, in Arambag, 191 gram panchayat seats have been declared uncontested out of a total of 196. For panchayat samitis, the figure is 42 out of 44. The poll results in 2003 were no less astounding. That year, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) won 259 of the 299 seats across all three tiers. The Communist Party of India won 34, and the All India Forward Bloc won six. The combined Opposition haul was zero.

Arambag has set a disturbing trend over the years. What I wanted to find out was how the system works, and what it takes to silence a politically conscious electorate. The task proved to be particularly vexing, simply because it was easy and difficult at the same time. There was no doubting the political intimidation. Most of the people I met in Arambag were unwilling to talk. Opposition leaders, while blaming the CPI(M) for the santrash (terror), pleaded helplessness when I asked them to arrange a meeting with the victims of such intimidation. A Trinamul Congress leader, who sat smoking alone in his dingy office, said that such a meeting would put lives at risk. Later, I got to hear of Chabita Malik from someone else. Malik, I was told, was contesting despite the threats from the cadre. But then she stayed far away from where I was, and I was running out of time.

To get to the truth, I tried another line. Calls were made to local Left leaders to see what they had to say. They did not say much, except that they were busy campaigning. I marvelled at their commitment. Given the lack of a contest, why did they have to work this hard, I wondered.

Two despairing hours later, I met Ashok Patra. It was a chance meeting, and one that took me closer to the unseen terror. Patra and his wife had decided to fight on a TMC ticket. Neither could submit their nomination papers though. A zonal CPI leader told Patra that his five- bigha plot would be confiscated if he were to contest. His school-teacher brother would also lose his job. Political intimidation is ever changing, just like politics itself. It is no more about using force. The threat to one’s land, or job, in a poor, agrarian society works much better.

Would he fight the elections again, I asked him. Patra, who had seemed tense all this while, was suddenly calm. “Ebar to holo na, kintu porer bar lorbo (I couldn’t contest this time, but I will fight the next polls).” “Amar poribar aar jomir jonno (For the sake of my family and my land).” Some people remain unconquered, even in the face of utter hopelessness.

This is not to say that intimidation is the Left’s monopoly. I soon discovered that every political outfit is keen to replicate this model wherever possible. We travelled to Pursurah next, near the Burdwan border, past a sand-covered, snaking Damodar. In Pursurah, the Trinamul Congress has put up 105 gram panchayat candidates this year. In 2003, the number was five. I got to speak to Pervez Rehman of the TMC, at the shoddy block development office. Rehman attributes the rise in number to his party’s improved organizational skills. A bearded man, Rehman’s colleague, waits for him to leave for the meeting with the BDO. Then, he declares that he wished the Maoists were here to teach the comrades a lesson. He, like many others, refuses to recognize in his democratic choice the means to bring about change. Violence begets a mindset that can only understand, and reciprocate, in a similar language.

It was almost evening and I was on the road again. This time, towards Singur. The chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, was scheduled to address a meeting at Kamarkundu. I was not alone on this journey. The road was clogged with vehicles — rickety buses and tractors draped in red — full of cheerful people. It felt nice to be back among chatty, garrulous men and women. Even though they belonged to only one party.

About 15,000 people had gathered at the venue, most of them from neighbouring Khanakul, Goghat and Jangipara. There was a railway station nearby and I could hear the trains. Speakers took turns at the mike. A woman next to me slept, an ice-lolly dangling from her open mouth. A boy was selling posters: a grim Lenin, an even grimmer Jyoti Basu and a beaming Anil Biswas.
Finally, it was Bhattacharjee’s turn to speak and the crowd turned attentive. While the others were belligerent, Bhattacharjee spoke caringly, like an elderly man speaking to his brood. He reminded the audience that the panchayat was the creation of the Left Front. Yet, it belongs to the people, all of them. I am suddenly reminded of Ashok Patra, and his troubled face.

The panchayati raj has revolutionized rural Bengal, said Bhattacharjee. There are now new roads — did he miss the potholed stretch that lay close to the Expressway? — and midday meals in schools, empowered women running cooperative societies and increased food production. For a moment, I feared that Bhattacharjee was never going to stop. But a sudden, shrill train whistle cut him short, though only briefly.

He resumed speaking: about America, farmer suicides in Maharashtra, India’s dwindling food production and the promise held by Tata Motors. He ended some time after six. Even as the crowd thinned out, a local leader on the dais, a nonagenarian, reminded the people to cast their vote in favour of the Left Front. His voice was not threatening, but steely and impassive. His tone made me uncomfortable. Later, as the car moved slowly through the departing crowd, I heard a tap on the window, followed by a voice that said, “Thik thaak likhbi kintu (You better write your report correctly).” The voice wasn’t menacing. But it did not speak in jest either. This was just another memorable way of delivering a message.

*******************************

Most Bankura booths sensitive

BANKURA, April 28: A majority of the polling booths across Bankura have been declared sensitive by the district administration. Of these, nearly 23 percent have been pegged as hyper-sensitive. While most of the sensitive booths are in Bishnupur sub-division which is a Congress stronghold, the hyper-sensitive booths are mostly located in Khatra sub-division, a Maoist stronghold.

The district authorities is deploying armed police guards in all sensitive booths on the poll day.

Mr Surendra Gupta, DM, Bankura said: “After studying all aspects, we declared a majority of the polling booths as sensitive.” Of a total of 2,427 polling centres, 1,219 booths have been declared sensitive and 550 as hyper sensitive.

In the last seven years, successive raids by Maoist squads in Khatra sub-division, particularly in Ranibandh, Raipur and Sarenga areas, caused multiple casualties. The district intelligence apparatus apprehend fresh attacks by the Maoists during the polls.
Although Bishnupur sub-division has never witnessed Maoist activity, 610 booths in Bishnupur has been declared as sensitive. Most of these booths fall under Indas and Bishnupur blocks.

Mr Syed Hobibur Rehman, district Congress sevadal president alleged that the decision to declare a majority of polling stations in Bishnupur was a political decision, at the instigation of the CPI-M. “Trinamul Congress and our party have lodged several complaints to the Election Commission and the DM that the CPI-M cadres are threatening opposition candidates. Now they have asked the administration to post armed guards in the respective booths.”

Mr Amio Patra, district CPI-M secretary however denied the charge, saying the armed guards are to be posted to ensure smooth polling procedure.

*********************************

CPI-ML fields 71 candidates for rural polls

SILIGURI, April 27: Kanu Sanyal led Communist Party of India (Marxists Leninists) has fielded 71 candidates for the ensuing panchayat polls in the state.

According to a CPI-ML Press release, while 68 candidates nominated by the party are in the fray for gram panchayat seats, the remaining three are contesting from zila parishad constituencies.

The Naxalite party has fielded a maximum of 40 gram panchayat candidates in South Dinajpur, followed by 35 in Birbhum, six in Nadia, four in North Dinajpur and three at Kathalguri Tea Estate area in Jalpaiguri. Of the zilla parishad candidates, one is contesting from Tufanganj in Cooch Behar and the other two are in the fray from Karandhighi in North Dinajpur.

**********************************

Ghosts of Suchpur reappear

Sabyasachi Roy
NANOOR, April 26: A violent power struggle has gained momentum in Thupsara panchayat area in Birbhum’s Nanoor block, in the run-up to the panchayat elections.

In the past few days more than 10 Trinamul workers have been injured with bombs being hurled, allegedly by the CPI-M. A Trinamul nominee for the Thupsara gram panchayat, Mr Mukul Das, was allegedly kidnapped on Friday by CPI-M cadres who tried to force him to withdraw his nomination papers. He was beaten up badly before being rescued by his party members.
Fear has become a way of life in Nanoor block after the Suchpur massacre in 2000, when 11 landless farmers were hacked to death, allegedly by the CPI-M cadres.

On the last panchayat poll in 2003, the Suchpur massacre greatly impacted the political equation and the Trinamul Congress managed to snatch 18 out of 23 seats to dominate over the panchayat. It was a great blow to the CPI-M, which managed just one seat. The rest (four) were won by the BJP. As the chair for the panchayat pradhan was recovered for Scheduled Caste, Mr Tapan Das became the pradhan replacing Mr Lokubuddin Sheikh, the then hero of the Trinamul in that area.

Taking advantage of this switchover, the CPI-M leadership, mainly the kingpins of the Suchpur massacre, played tricks to recapture their lost ground.

CPI-M party sources said, Sheikh, one of the witnesses of the massacre was offered a good amount of money to join the CPI-M camp and was also offered the position of upo-pradhan of the panchayat if he was able to collapse the then Trinamul-run panchayat board.

The trick clicked. Sheikh with ten other elected Trinamul candidates joined the CPI-M camp. Thus the CPI-M recaptured the Thupsara panchayat board placing Sheikh as the upo-pradhan but with all the power to run the panchayat.

The infighting between the Trinamul leaders orchestrated by the CPI-M resulted into a regular clash between CPI-M and Trinamul.

This time, the CPI-M leadership is more determined to retain their power in that area and the Trinamul Congress in the last five years has developed a foothold in the area using the Singur issue and the Nandigram carnage.

********************************************************

Schemes fail to improve quality of life in Birbhum

By Sabyasachi Roy The Statesman

SURI, April 25: The schemes that were launched to give an economic boost to the rural people have visibly failed to bring any change in the lives of the rural populace in Birbhum. All of these, however, will feature in the pre-election campaign. Though the district authorities claimed to have achieved major success in schemes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and most importantly National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) over the last five years, the ground reality tells a different story. Though the district administration has already spent Rs 112,23,78,339 out of Rs 113,17,39,392 allotted under NREGA in 2007-08, according to reports, though every applicant was supposed to get 100 days of work in a year, the authorities could provide only 26 days of work to 27,931 backward families out against a total of 36,754 jobs issued to the backward families.

Under NREGA, the district authorities claimed to have renovated several ponds and dams, developed agricultural lands, constructed village roads and planted saplings in the barren lands. Till February 2008, a total of 441 such projects have been completed and about 403 such projects were under progress.

Till February 2008, a total of 4,69,963 people applied for jobs under the NREGA and 4,68,567 people were provided with only 30 days of work on an average.

In the projects where plantation of saplings were undertaken, the details did not match with reality. Questions have been raised about the renovation of water bodies and village road construction. The BDOs, the implementing officers of the project in block levels, admitted they have received several complaints regarding fake muster roll and fake job cards. There are complaints that CPI-M party cadres denied job cards and jobs to villagers who do not belong to their party. The villagers said they were not paid on time in many areas. All these grievances against the ruling Left Front could spell doom during the ensuing panchayat elections.

In case of ICDS, the negligence in supervising and employing party loyalists in the ICDS centres resulted in total misery. The local panchayats are supposed to extend full cooperation to run the local ICDS centres but none of the panchayats in Birbhum allegedly took the responsibility to provide better facilities to the local children.

The Public Distribution System, the most vital one, is the most corrupt system which runs in every district. The recent arson against the corrupt ration dealers and faulty distribution system proved that people are not satisfied with the service.

The battlegrounds in Birbhum have been drawn and both the ruling Left Front and the Opposition are out with claims and counter claims about the success and failure of these schemes.

**********************************************************

**********************************************************

Arms build-up ahead of polls in Nandigram

By Biswabrata Goswami, The Statesman

NANDIGRAM, April 25: In the run-up to 11 May’s three-tier panchayat polls, a huge cache of sophisticated bombs, arms and ammunition are piling up at various points in Nandigram. These are being hoarded by both CPI-M cadres and supporters of the Bhumi Ucched Protirodh Committee (BUPC). Strife-torn Nandigram might again be witness to another bloody battle during the fast-approaching panchayat polls.

Spiraling violence and attacks by armed supporters of the CPI-M who are moving about freely in villages here, coupled with the build-up of arms and ammunition in the area, have compelled a worried district police to rethink their strategy of handling the political situation.

Police are also worried about a large number of smuggled guns that were used by CPI-M-hired goons during the bloody recapture of Nandigram in November last year. Most of these sophisticated guns have yet to be seized, because of alleged interference from CPI-M top guns.

A visit to Nandigram and its outskirts revealed that the CPI-M has already started mobilising cadres in all villages neighbouring Nandigram, which the BUPC controls at the moment. The move is being seen as the last step towards bringing Nandigram under their complete control by unleashing a reign of terror on Opposition supporters.

According to a CPI-M party insider, the plan to wash out the Opposition’s dominance from these villages before 11 May, was drawn up three weeks back during a meeting between two top CPI-M leaders from East and West Midnapore. An MP from Midnapore East and a district secretariat member from Midnapore West were also present in the meeting.

Party insiders said the main point of discussion was how to bring back all villages of Nandigram under CPI-M dominance before the panchayat polls. Like the Nandigram recapture operation, the party will use cadre ~ local criminals mostly involved in dacoity cases ~ for the operation. These cadres will come mostly from Keshpur and Garbeta areas because the party has already won all seats in these areas. A huge cache of bombs and firearms will be stocked at various hideouts in Khejuri and a few hideouts in Nandigram. Local cadres, headed by trained cadres from outside, will start intimidating villagers by using mild strong-arm tactics in the villages where the Opposition has still dominance, said the party insiders.

Asked about the matter, Mr Ashok Guria, district secretariat member of the CPI-M, said: “They (the BUPC) are constantly attacking our men, they are moving around with arms and threatening our cadres. Is it possible to digest their threats? They will have to first give up their arms before police, only then will peace and democracy return to Nandigram. If they attack with arms, we will have to resist it with arms to protect our supporters and cadre. We have asked police to seize firearms stored illegally by the BUPC workers.”

Mr Bhabani Das, a BUPC and SUCI leader, alleged: “Revenge has become the CPI-M’s buzz word. They want to regain lost ground at any cost. The government and the party are fused into one. Instead of the ‘rule of law’ they believe in the ‘rule of the party’. Both became handy tools of the party bosses’ sinister game plans to recapture Nandigram in the same manner as zamindars used to fight to gain or regain. Ahead of the polls, they have already started mobilising their cadres and storing arms at their hideouts.”

The district superintendent of police, Mr SS Panda said: “This is nothing new. For the last two years, both sides have been busy stocking bombs and firearms and using these in attacks. Ahead of the polls, they may store these at hideouts but we are trying to seize these illegal arms from them.”

*******************************************************

RSP clings to Big Brother despite CPM threats

By Sujoy Singh Roy, The Statesman

KRISHNAGAR, April 24: This alliance is too strong to break, or perhaps the rewards of the alliance are too great to ignore. Despite severe threats and physical harassment meted out to RSP gram panchayat and Zilla Parishad candidates by CPI-M-sponsored goons, the Nadia district RSP leadership wants to join hands with the superior Front partner and fight united in the forthcoming panchayat election in Nadia district.

Recently the RSP candidate for Haringhata Zilla Parishad was beaten up and threatened with dire consequences if he refused to withdraw his nomination. Ms Rupali Halder, RSP gram panchayat candidate of Karimpur-I block, Mr Rajjak Mondol, RSP candidate of Narayanpur-II gram panchayat and Mr Ismail Sheikh, another RSP gram panchayat candidate from Tehatta-II block, were given the same treatment. Buckling under pressure, Ms Halder, Mr Mondol and Mr Sheikh have withdrawn their nominations.

Asked about the matter, Mr Shankar Sarkar, RSP secretary, Nadia district committee, said: “We have lodged complaints against CPI-M goons in all of these places for issuing threats to our candidates. But we must remember that these are isolated incidents whipped up by some hot-headed CPI-M cadre. We cannot give up our Leftist ideals just because of these incidents and help the anti-Left forces. We have left the doors open for every sort of coalition in front of the CPI-M. The rest is up to them.”

RSP candidates have filed nominations against CPI-M candidates in a few places in Nadia. Among 2,691 gram panchayat seats in Nadia, RSP candidates have filed their nominations in 318 seats. The number is 63 among 533 seats and 13 among 45 seats in the case of panchayat samiti and Zilla Parishad respectively. But despite the fact the final date for withdrawal of nomination is far gone, the RSP leadership in the district has decided to have a ‘leaflet campaign’ for CPI-M candidates ~ instead of their own ~ provided the CPI-M agrees to share seats with the RSP in the election.

Mr Sarkar said: “We have agreed to fight the election together with the CPI-M, but only under certain conditions. We have filed our nominations in 318 constituencies, where we have good political strength but the CPI-M asked us to file nominations only in seats previously won by us. We have not agreed to this proposal, as we have bettered our influence in many places since the last election.”

In the last panchayat election, 33 RSP gram panchayat candidates among 245 and four panchayat samiti candidates among 45 won their seats. There was no win for six RSP Zilla Parishad candidates last year in Nadia.

Mr Sarkar added: “If the CPI-M agrees to these conditions we are ready to divide seat distribution through leafleting, provided the CPI-M will also do the same. Only this way can we successfully fight against the anti-Left forces.”

*******************************************************

CPM enlists cadres to capture panchayats

By Shyam Sundar Roy, The Statesman

MIDNAPORE, April 24: Midnapore West CPI-M’s blueprint to capture the Belpahari panchayat samiti and all the 10 gram panchayats under it along with 23 panchayat samiti seats and two Zilla Parishad seats by their muscle power is complete.

But the fallout is feared to be a worst kind of bloodshed as the Jharkhand Party (Naren) which is in control of these panchayat bodies with nine of the total of 10 gram panchayats, 17 panchayat samiti seats and two ZP seats would fight back with all their might to retain their command in the block.
To achieve their mission, district CPI-M leadership dispatched about 200 “specially trained” cadres from Keshpur to Belpahari. The first batch of these cadres arrived early last week and fanned out in different jungle mahals** (forest surrounded hamlets) of Belpahari block, party insiders said.
With the Maoist ultras being pushed back by the CRPF personnel over the months, the Marxists find it is high time to fill in the vacuum.
One such seven-member team from Keshpur, who were on their way to Poradih More, a junction point of Midnapore West-Bankura-Purulia, in a Midnapore-Manbazar SBSTC bus on 17 April, were heard to converse among themselves, “how will we maintain ourselves during our stay there at a daily remuneration of Rs 1,000 given by the party and how much will we able to send to home?”

One of them named, Sheikh Munna and the other Sajjad (as known from their whispering), “expressed concern for not having any written contract this time with the party leadership as was done before their taking part in 2001 Keshpur capture operation. “What will be the fate of our families if we die in Belpahari capture operation,” another anxious team member said.

The red brigade from Keshpur have already made rounds of Kheriarata, Jamirdiha and Bardih villages under Banspahari gram panchayat area and several others under Bholabheda and Simulpal GPs, all Jharkhandi strongholds, in two wheelers at night posing as security-men of the CPI-M candidates. They threatened the villagers giving them whip to “cast for the CPI-M or face cases relating to Maoist link,” a villager said.

Belpahari CPI-M cadres on 22 April, the last day of withdrawal of nomination, took about 100 Keshpur musclemen, mostly clad in Barmudas and lungis, to the Belpahari BDO’s office complex where they were found to loiter from 1.30 p.m. to around 5 p.m., presumably for identifying the Opposition candidates and their agents, who will be their “targets”.

***************************************************

Electricity, crematorium top villagers’ wish list

By Abhisek Roychowdhury, The Statesman

KHEYADA (South 24-Parganas), April 24: In the wake of the panchayat elections scheduled for next month, a visit to a village in South 24-Parganas will acquaint one with the picture of neglect. “If we boycott the vote, can we get electricity and a crematorium next year?” asked Mr Uttam Munda, who lives in Kumarpukur village under Kheyada I gram panchayat. Nearly 150 families have been living in the village without electricity for the last 20 years.

Kumarpukur is one of the most backward villages in South 24-Parganas. The village is largely inhabited by Adivasis. Developmental activities are few and far between for these people who are struggling for their existence. A concrete bridge over a narrow channel of water was the only construction work carried out by the panchayat in the last five years.

Mr Badiya Munda, an elected members of the village panchayat, told The Statesman that the villagers are living in Zamindar’s estate for the last 40 years. During the period of operation Barga they wanted to record their names as the title holders. But the state government denied them the right to land ownership.

Agriculture is their only means of livelihood. They depend on rain water as there is no irrigation facility. “If we get electricity we can use a pump machine for agriculture,” said Mr Munda.

In the absence of the solid waste disposal arrangement the villagers relieve themselves in the open air. During the hot summer days, there is acute scarcity of drinking water too. One of the three tube wells installed with the MLA’s fund by Mr Nirmal Mondal are lying defunct. And the story just doesn’t end here.

The much vaunted 100 days work under the NREGA was expected to be a new horizon in the life of these people. But, the Adivasis said they only got 30 to 35 days work. They said they are forced to eat weeds for their existence during September-October. They do not get food items through the ration shop on a regular basis. A cremation ground has been a long-standing demand, but that is yet to be fulfilled. The deceased are buried locally in the village.

Mr Siraj Khan, a representative of Sonarpur panchayat samiti, said they had spent a lot of money for development of Kumarpukur. He said it was the custom of Adivasi people to bury the dead bodies locally. He also referred to the frequent theft of electrical wires as the reason why Kumarpukur is lying in the grip of darkness. Will this panchayat election change things around?

***********************************************

Villagers may boycott panchayat polls

RAIGANJ, April 23: With a demand of road around one thousand residents of Purba haat Khola in Kamlabari-1 Grampanchyat in Raiganj of North Dinajpur district have decided to boycott panchyat vote this year.In favour of their demands the villagers also pasted posters in the village.

One Shanti Adhikary,a resident of Purba Haat Khola said,We around 1000 members of 250 families have been residing in Purba Haat khola village for years. In our village no road has come up yet. Some narrow foot tracks are the means of communication in the village. But during monsoon such foot tracks are submerged with water and we have to wade knee deep water to reach home. In case of any major health hazard ambulamce can not reach .In the same way fire brigade can not enter into village for narrow space of foot tracks. We several times brought our difficulties to the notice of both Mr Animesh Debnath,the pradhan of Kamlabari-1 Grampanchyat and Sabhadhipati of North Dinajpur Mrs Jotsnarani Singh. But no body was interested to solve our problems. So this year we all residents have decided to boycott panchyat votes. We will be strick to our decision until we get any promise for the construction of roads in our village from the end of administration.When asked The pradhan of Kamlabari-1 Grampanchyat Mr Animesh Debnath said, “Previously we had a planning to construct road after purchasing lands from the villagers. But due to some unavoidable circumstances we could not do so.”

BDO Raiganj Mr Supriya Das said,The subject was brought to our notice we immediately meet the villages with a request to apply their democratic rights.After election we will consider their problems.

*********************************************************

Darkness despite CPM claims

By Sabyasachi Roy, The Statesman

SURI, April 23: At a time when the CPI-M is banking on its “success” of providing electricity to rural households as a major campaign tool ahead of panchayat polls in Birbhum, a large portion of the district is still plunged into darkness every evening.

In a magazine published by the Zilla Parishad recently, it has been claimed that electricity has reached all mouzas of the district.

This apart, 99 per cent of the work of all 428 schemes taken under the Rural Electrification Development Corporation project (REDC) have been completed and 82,432 families have been provided with electricity in the district under the project over the past five years, the magazine claimed.
However, there is a big gap between the Zilla Parishad’s claim and the actual picture in the district.

In reality, 40,5106 eligible families in the district are still looking forward to the day when the darkness that descends over their households every evening will be dissipated by electricity.

In many villages poles, wires, transformers are in place, but electricity could not supplied due to unknown reasons.

Despite the overall failure of the authorities, records mention that a lot of development has been done in the past five years to provide electricity to the people.

In past five years, eight new sub-power stations have been constructed and six others have been upgraded.

Electricity has reached to 35 per cent of the families, 648 industrial areas and 1177 agricultural sectors. In the past three financial years, eight sub-power stations each of 33/11 KV have been set up in three sub-divisions of the district.

Mr Ashish Banerjee, Trinamul MLA from Rampurhat said, “The success projected by the CPI-M is a false one. In many villages in Rampurhat-I and II blocks, electric poles, transformers are in order but electricity could not be supplied over the past 25 years.

The CPI-M is campaigning that electricity has reached to every mouza, but it is an eye-wash as a small portion of a village or para in each mouza has been provided with electricity in last five years.

But the major portion has been left out and people continue to suffer. So, it would be a mere lie if the CPI-M claims that electricity has reached to every mouzas in the district”.

Mr Sadhan Ghosh, CPI-M Karmadhakshya (electricity), said, “It is true that in a few villages electricity did not reach though poles and transformers were set up there many years ago. At that time there were no consumers and in this long course of time everything has been damaged so we have already pointed out these areas within those 4007 spots where electrification would be done under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaron Yajona.”

******************************************************

LF bags more than 100 seats

BANKURA, April 23: The Left Front, which has won more than a hundred panchayat seats uncontested in the district, has expressed disgust over this “unchallenged” mode of victory.

The Trinamul Congress-headed Opposition has blamed alleged CPI-M atrocities for seats going uncontested in the district.

Bankura in all has 2,179 village panchayat seats in its 190 panchayats. Out of this, 127 seats have been declared ‘uncontested’ where the LF candidates emerged as the lone player in the electoral battlefield. Maximum number of uncontested panchayat seats were found in CPI-M and AIFB strongholds like Taldangra (27 seats) and Onda (25 seats).

Even places like Bishnupur, known as a Congress stronghold, spared six seats in favour of the LF without any contest. Out of a total of 496 panchayat samiti seats accommodated by 22 panchayat samitis in the district, 23 seats went to the LF uncontested. Samitis in Onda, Taldangra, Joyour, Kotulpur witnessed five seats each going uncontested. In Patrasayar samiti, two seats went to the CPI-M uncontested.

Mr Amio Patra, district CPI-M secretary and convener of district LF said: “We had fielded candidates in every seats expecting a similar attitude from the Opposition. It’s a pity that they have failed to come one to one. We didn’t expect this.”

District Trinamul president Mr Kashinath Mishra said: “It’s the CPI-M’s atrocities that left many of our candidates in fear in the remote villages.