People's Democracy

BENGAL NEWSLETTER

Massive Campaign to

Reach Out to People

From Our Special

Correspondent in Kolkata

IN a massive programme to revitalise the Party and reach out to people, the CPI(M) North 24 Parganas district committee organised 21 public rallies and meetings throughout the district in the month of May. The rallies, spread in length and breadth of the entire district, not only galvanised the Party activists but also helped in presenting the political understanding of the Party to the masses in a critical juncture. Nearly two lakh people participated in these meetings.

These meetings were addressed by frontline leaders of the Party. Among them were general secretary Prakash Karat and Polit Bureau members Sitaram Yechury, Brinda Karat, Manik Sarkar, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Biman Basu and Suryakanta Misra.

Prakash Karat addressed two well attended meetings on 13th May in Shyamnagar and Panihati. Karat firmly asserted that no amount of terror could stop the advancement of the Left. He said that political violence has been unleashed in West Bengal after the assembly elections. The CPI(M) and the Left forces would resist these attacks, forging closer ties with the people. The TMC-Congress government is destroying the gains achieved during the Left Front period with crisis set in agriculture, panchayats being made defunct and democratic rights curtailed, he said.

Manik Sarkar, Polit Bureau member and chief minister of Tripura, spoke in three meetings on 12th and 13th May. Sarkar also referred to the attack on CPI(M) in West Bengal and said that these attacks were meticulously planned. “There will be inevitable conflicts between the interests of the toiling masses and the policies of the TMC government”, said Sarkar. 

Sitaram Yechury addressed meetings on 19th and 20th May. Referring to completion of one year of TMC government, Yechury alleged that constitutional rights of the people were being attacked in the state. The right to free speech and assembly were important rights which would be defended at any cost. “The struggle against authoritarianism in West Bengal will receive full solidarity from the entire country”, said Yechury.

Brinda Karat, addressing two meetings on 23rd May, said that the TMC government was part and parcel of anti-people policy regime of the UPA while pursuing same policies in the state.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee addressed three largely attended meetings. He, in fact, started the massive campaign with the first meeting on 6th May in Khardaha and it was his meeting in Barackpore on 31st May that signalled the end of this phase of campaign. Bhattacharjee extolled the people to compare between the work of the Left Front government and the present one. He said, “There are perceptible signs of decline in the fields of agriculture, industries, education, rural development and security of the people”. Bhattacharjee pointed out that the attacks which started with targeting of Left have now spread against Congress and the general people.

Biman Basu, CPI(M) state secretary, addressed two huge meetings in Basirhat and Baranagar. He emphasised the need to build up united struggle of the toiling people on the issues of livelihood. Party workers have to take the lead to forge closer relations with the people to strengthen such movements, he said.

CPI(M) central committee member Md Salim, district secretary Gautam Deb and other state and district leaders of the Party also addressed the meetings.

In the next phase, Party workers will go to maximum possible households in the district from 3rd to 10th June for a fund collection drive. This fund, they will explain to the people, will help the families of the martyrs and support those who have been falsely implicated in cases. This, in fact, will be an intensive campaign to communicate with the people.

TMC TERROR TACTICS

IN MUNICIPAL POLLS

The Trinamool Congress has unleashed terror tactics in the ensuing municipal elections in West Bengal. Municipal elections will take place on 3rd June in six municipalities in the state, including Durgapur corporation. Other five are Haldia, Nalhati, Dhupguri,  Panshkura and Coopers Notified area.

In Haldia and Panshkura , both in East Midnapore district, the TMC has tried to stop any kind of campaign by the opposition. In Haldia, almost every day, Left Front candidates have either been physically attacked or their campaign materials destroyed. In both the towns, the TMC goons obstructed and intimidated Left Front candidates even before the official submission of their candidature. Houses were attacked, families were threatened with dire consequences and several Left Front workers were beaten up mercilessly. In many wards, Left Front candidates were not allowed to campaign by TMC hoodlums. The Congress had to face almost similar experience when their leaders were kidnapped. A husband of Congress candidate was detained until she agreed to withdraw her nomination papers.

The Left Front has repeatedly drawn attention of the Chief Electoral Officer and the administration to such terror tactics of the ruling TMC. Left Front leaders met chief secretary of the state and pointed specifically to 22 complaints in Haldia and 9 in Panshkura. CPI(M) leader Rabin Deb alleged that not a single complaint was addressed. On the contrary, attacks have been intensified after such complaints were lodged.

In Durgapur, CPI(M) activists were attacked in many wards. The TMC has mobilised anti-social elements who are terrorising the people at large. Despite this, the CPI(M) and the Left Front have moved on with determined campaign and largely attended public meetings, rallies were organised.

Suryakanta Misra, leader of the opposition, has alleged on May 30 that the TMC was preparing for a larger terror campaign in the last few days to polling. They will try to intimidate voters and polling agents and will try to snatch away the democratic rights of the people. Misra appealed to the media to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, state Congress leaders have also alleged that the TMC has let loose attacks on them. The Congress has requested the administration to intervene but till now there has been no response. The state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya said in press conference, “The administration is working under political pressure of the TMC. There are apprehensions of booth capturing, attacks on candidates, attacks on voters in municipalities etc”.