January 22, 2012

200 Days of ‘Change’:Promises are Always to be Broken


Why Target?

200 days are not sufficient time to evaluate the work of any State Government. The target-based campaign was first started by the bourgeoisie political parties of United Sates of America and Eastern Europe as a part of their election campaign. Though the targets are often forgotten after the election and those parties are least interested to fulfill the targets once the election is won. This electoral tactics has been blindly copied by TMC before the 15th Assembly Election of West Bengal. In reality TMC has even plagiarised the slogan "Change We can believe in" from American President Barrack Obama.

Target of 200 Days

Prior to the last Assembly Election of the State TMC could not publish any English translation of their Election Manifesto. Instead of doing so they have created another separate document called as 'VISION DOCUMENT'. The documents set the target of the work to be completed within 200 days of the new Government. That document contained mainly a little section of the Election Manifesto and the list of the works, which shall be done within first 200 days from the formation of TMC led Government in West Bengal. A Careful reading of two documents brings out the dissimilarity and contradiction.

In some aspect by using the jugglery of words against the Left Front, TMC has informed that they will continue with the work done by the former Left Front Government. In many aspects they could not dare to reject the truth. We shall look into few declaration made by TMC and try to see how far they have been fulfilled.

False Claim on Investment

TMC led Government has maintained its heritage of False claim of success in Industrial Development in the state. In reality the Government has failed to draw any new flow of investment in the State. The new Government has failed to bring out its new land policy yet. This failure has resulted in massive set back of the Government to bring any new investment in any of the major sectors. Above all the CM has clearly declared that the Government will place all seek industries in auction for sell whereas it was promised in TMC's election manifesto that it will resurge seek industries and save them.

Farmers Suicide: Bengal Enrolls Itself in the List

West Bengal has not witnessed with the instance of farmer's suicide where other states in India had laths of incidents of such kind. The farmer policy of the earlier Left Front Government could successfully tackle the situation by providing adequate support to ensure the price of the crop by way of continuous land reforms. The Government changed; TMC came to power and brought a shift in the policy towards farmers, which has forced the farmers to get into the crisis, and made suicide as the only resort to the marginalised farmers. Till the date under the new regime 6 farmers and field workers have committed suicide with the burden of huge loan. Compared to the last year the farmers have suffered a huge crisis. They have been even forced to distress sale the crops. Since the Panchayat have been paralysed by the new Government, the job under NREGA has been stopped. The so-called Government of maa-mati-manush has reversed the success of land reforms of earlier Left Front Government by issuing directive (memo no. IRC/624/11).

The Neoliberal Solution in Transport

The TMC led State Government has started to enforce the neo liberal economic policies in State owned transport system. It has already stopped the payment of pension to the retired workers of the state transport corporations. Even the current workers are not receiving the regular salary in those corporations. In August a CESTC pension holder lady has committed suicide after the non-payment of pension. More serious situation aroused when the almost 18,000 current workers received their salary for the month of October, not before 30th November. The Transport Minister Subrata Bakshi has told that the Government shall offer the VRS package to the transport workers to resurge the sickness and also it will stop the bus service from all non-profit making roots.

The Poor Financial Situation

Before the Assembly election the TMC used to complain against the earlier Left Front Government that it is responsible for the huge debt of the State, after the election the same has been boomeranged against them. Even the situation is so grave that West Bengal has been elevated at the top among the states in the amount of debt. In last six months the new Government has taken a loan f Rupees 10,000/- from the market, which is almost double of the loan amount taken from the market in last year (Left Front Government). The Finance Minister of the State Dr. Amit Mitra has promised that the Government will increase 30% at the average earning of the state, but in reality the growth rate is only 15%. It is quite impossible to reach the target level before this year ending.

The Action for Seek Industries: CM

TMC had declared in their Election Manifesto that 'All Seek Industries will be resurged' but on contrary to that declaration On 4th November the Chief Minister has declared the declared that the seek industries of the state shall be sold in auction. It shows the dual policies of TMC before and after the election.

Land Reforms Stopped

The new Government by issuing a direction (memo no. IRC/624/11) has declared that the Government will come out from the path of Land Reforms and the distribution of lands to the landless people. The memo has been issued on 18th October. The Policy determination Committee, appointed by the new Government has termed the policy of land reforms followed by Left Front Government as 'Robbery of Land'. The Committee has also stated in their draft recommendation that the Government will take punitive measure against such robbery of land.

Net Failure in Rural Development and NREGA

During the time of Left Front Government in West Bengal the state had secured its position out of first five states in implementation of NREGAs (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). The new Government has brought down the state out of last 4 states. In the financial year 2010-11 the number of job days created under NREGAs was total 15 crore and in this year the number has reduced to only Rs.2 crore. The failure has drawn the attention of the Central Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh that he has written a letter to the Chief Minister (no. FTS-66592/2011) where he has written that the state is currently having Rs.1823 crore but out of that Rs.900 crore have been left unutilised.

Reduction in the Expenditure on Minority Welfare

In the last financial year the budget allotment in minority welfare under former Left Front Government was Rs.664.46 crore. The new Government has reduced Rs.30.66 crore the allotment in minority welfare drastically in the first budget itself. The budget maintained silence on the large section of minorities left out of the purview of the Multi sartorial Development Project of the Central Government. The budget has not spent a single word on the English Medium Madrasas of the State. The programmes taken by the earlier Left Front Government to provide the rehabilitation packages to the divorced, homeless and helpless minority women have been completely ignored in the budget. These forgetfulness shows that the so-called minority friendly attitude of TMC was just like a mask, which has been already taken off.

Fascism: The Late Realisation of Mahasweta Devi

The honeymoon period of TMC-and so called 'CIVIL SOCIETY' (Sushil Samaj) is over within first six months of the new Government. At least the statement made by Mahasweta Devi On 21st November indicates that. The conflict raised due to the refusal by the Police to grant permission for a public meeting called by APDR at Metro Channel. While condemning such action Mahasweta Devi asked whether they have knowingly invited fascism in State or not. The conflict has also attracted the statement of Kabir Suman, a TMC MP, which has reminded the CM that as an opposition leader she made a continuous 26 days dharna at that Metro Channel only. Late is better than never. Although late, but the so-called Susheel Samaj has started to realise the original face of TMC.

How Many Days Singur shall Wait to Get Back the Promised Land?

TMC had declared that their Government will return the lands belong to the UNWILLING FARMERS of Singur after the formation of the new Government. With the lapse of time those farmers are also realising that the promise was nothing but a pre election gimmick. 100 days, 200 days... no one knows how many days they wait to get back the land.

Return of Power Cut

One of the major successes of the Left Front Government was that it could reduce the power cut in the state. The change in the Government has taken back to the time of Power cut. The Government has failed to make a plan to maintain the supply of electric in the state. Over all they have indicated that it might have to increase the price for electric under the compulsion.

Syndicate, Promoters and TMC

The evil nexus between Syndicate, Promoters and TMC has been revealed after the murder of TMC worker Swapan Mandal at Keshtopur, 24 Parganas (North). The main accused Partha Sarkar and others are also the well-known TMC leader of the area. The situation indicates that the evil nexus got strengthened during the first six months of the change. Unfortunately the Government is doing nothing to break such nexus except the verbal attack and counter attack among the TMC leaders.

Curtailment of Panchayat Right

Panchayat of West Bengal was considered as a model to rest of India under Left Front Government. It was West Bengal, which was the real torchbearer of decentralisation policy and the three tiers Panchayat system to ensure peoples participation in local Governance. But the new Government has done nothing to consolidate that success. Instead of doing so they have taken initiative to curtail the rights of Panchayat by empowering the executive. In order to do so the CM met the BDOs and SDO and issued the direction to them.

The University Ordinance

The new Government has already proclaimed an Ordinance to destroy the democratic system in the Educational Institutions. They are trying to adopt the nominated managing committee system. This amounts to an attack on democracy established in the state by Left Front in last 34 years.

CM at Police Station

On 6th November the CM herself had visited Bhowanipur Police Station to resolve a criminal dispute, which is not only unprecedented but also dangerous for a democratic system.

Police Firing

On 1st December the Police of the new Government has fired on a peaceful protest at the demand of electricity at Nainan of Magrahat, 24 Parganas (South). 4 People including three women and a twelve years old girl died in that firing. In last six months police has fired several times at Asansol, Pandaveswar, Haroa and Bagula. One person died at Asansol incident and one woman died at Bagula by the bullets of the police of new Government.

Alteration of Charge Sheet to Save a Minister

The CID under the Home Minister and Chief Minister Smt. Mamata Banerjee has deleted the name of one of the ministers of her ministry, Mr. Arup Roy, from the charge sheet filed in connection to the murder of a TMC leader of Bally, Howrah. This incident is also unprecedented and dangerous for an impartial judicial system. In another incident under the direction of the law minister of the new Government police has withdrawn a murder case against the congress anti socials at Krishnanagar. The Police have also shown partiality to arrest a TMC councilor who was connected to a murder at Tarapeeth, Rampurhat.

Falsification Continues…

There are thousands incidents in last six moth duration of the new Government which revels the inefficacy of the Government to run the state. The declarations at Election manifesto remained unfulfilled and the Governments action does not indicate its willingness to fulfill them in near future. So the writing of the CM in a document to mark 100 days of the new Government that it has finished maximum work of 200 days within 90 days only tells us that Falsification continues... either in opposition or in Government, because the name of the party is TMC.

 SOURCE: http://www.cpimwb.org.in/feature_details.php?features_id=13