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Institutionalised Terror

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Why is there so much violence being witnessed in West Bengal during the ongoing elections? The Election Commission has had to make heavy deployment of security forces to maintain a semblance of order. The elections have had to be staggered over each of the seven phases so that adequate security arrangements can be made. The reason is quite obvious – the political struggle is very little democratic and is based more on the ‘power flows from the barrel of a gun’ ideology introduced by the Communists. The Left, after acquiring and exercising power for thirty-four years became complacent and soft. Its cadres on the ground that had used violence and intimidation to take over villages, mohallas, towns and cities, could not stand up against the resentment caused among the public by the policies that chased away business and glorified poverty. All it needed was the organising ability of Mamata Banerjee and her TMC, who replicated the methods of the communists, only worse. If it was ideology that united the Left, for the TMC it has been pelf. The events in Sandeshkhali provide just a small glimpse of what has been going on in the state.

Under such circumstances, it has been near impossible to provide the quality of governance that could improve the state’s economic and social conditions. Increasingly large numbers of people have been left out in the cold, particularly those who do not fit into the Trinamool support base. These sections want out, if nothing else, by establishing separate entities. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has only responded by blaming the Union Government and unleashing even more of her repressive tactics at the street level. Standing up are the BJP and its associated cadre.

This is known to all, be it the Communist parties or the Congress. While at the national level, the Congress leadership is quite prepared to abandon the people of the state for the sake of defeating the BJP, local leaders of the party know what that would result in – not just annihilation of the support base, but also increased suffering for the people. It becomes all the more necessary, therefore, for the electorate to have the freedom to exercise their franchise without pressure. Unfortunately, the fear still remains, because the TMC will target areas where it has not received support. But, despite all that, elections are the people’s only hope against the ever-increasing cruelties being inflicted upon them.