AGRICULTURE belongs to the states’ list under the constitution. Yet, the BJP-led union government would think nothing about going ahead to enter into an agreement with World Trade Organisation (WTO) concerning agriculture and would not bother to take cognizance of the states’ views. The Bengal left front government has decided to do something about this. The state government is moving a case in the Supreme Court against the union government on this score.

Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee disclosed this while addressing a meeting at Rabindra Bhavan in Baranagar in the north 24 Parganas distinct on August 17.

Bhattacharjee said that in addition to preferring a case in the Supreme Court the Left MLA’s and MP’s would utilize all appropriate fora to become vocal against this unprecedented step by the NDA government.

A meeting of non BJP ruled state chief ministers has been convened to prepare the outline of a protest movement at the all-India level against all attempts at "saffronisation" of the education system by the BJP-led union government.

Bhattacharjee referred to the upcoming meeting of the national development council on September 1 and said that it would devolve upon every right-thinking representative of the states at that meeting to mince no word in telling the union government that it was moving in the wrong direction in every sector of governance.

Reiterating his position on the developmental priorities of Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that the existing signposts of success in agricultural and rural growth must be consolidated and emphasis placed on such employment-intensive industries as handlooms, leather crafts, and plastic products.

The meeting held to commemorate the 25 years of the Left Front government in Bengal was presided over by Amitava Nandi who is a secretariat member of the north 24 Parganas district committee of the CPI (M).

ADDRESSING a meeting CPI (M) workers at Taki in north 24 Parganas, state secretary of the CPI (M), Anil Biswas said that there was urgent need for the emergence of an alternative political force at the national level. The nation, he said, "is virtually stumbling from one crisis to another as the economy spirals into malfunction, a spirit of intolerance gets encouraged by the ruling classes, corruption is made to become a part of the daily life, and an array of retrogressive policies are adopted with impunity by the BJP-led NDA union government."

The CPI (M), said Anil Biswas "has in important role to play in the strengthening of an alternative political formation at the national level, a formation like the Lok Morcha which will afford the people to form a government which is responsive to the demand for a better life."

In engaging themselves in the task of augmenting the political alternative, the CPI (M) workers must stand firmly united in the basis of ideology, adhering to the updated Party programme as they go about their tasks to enhance the political consciousness of the masses.

Biswas said that during the earlier period, people’s expectations from the communist party were mostly confined to enhancement of wages and winning of peasants’ rights to the land. As they days have gone by, the level of expectations had gone on increasing. With the communist party playing a leading role in the running of state governments, municipalities, and panchayats, the expectations of the people underwent quantitative as well as qualitative transformation. The party workers must realize the situation and work more devotedly than ever for the cause of the people while maintaining a pattern of behaviour expected of a communist, said Biswas.

Elsewhere in north 24 Parganas, at Rajarhat, CPI (M) leader and Left Front chairman Biman Basu spoke to another meeting of CPI (M) workers where he emphasized the importance of the electoral triumph of the left front in the recent assembly polls.

"This was not a run-of-the-mill affair, " reminded Biman Basu, and said that the CPI (M) and the Left Front were constrained not merely to fight against the" coteries of reactionary political parties and groups arrayed against us but had also to counter the fevered campaign of half-truth and untruth carried out in large sections of the corporate media." Even international powers had sought to try to undermine the electoral prospects of the Left Front in Bengal.

Biman Basu said that there was no place for any kind of self-satisfaction and inaction in the wake of the electoral victory. There was urgent need to enhance mass contact while undergoing deep introspection among the party workers. In advancing the cause that the CPI (M) represents, lessons must be learnt from past mistakes and corrective measures under taken, said Basu.

Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Microsoft corporation, a software company of the USA, the Bengal Left Front government has been identified by the latter as its strategic technology partner. Such agreements have already been signed with the IT Corporation by the state governments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Gujarat.

The Microsoft Corporation’s representative said that they would cooperate with the state Left Front government in treasury management, financial services, and land revenue.

Specifically, the agreement will focus on the following areas:

• Cyber connectivity will be extended from the Writers’ Buildings to the level of the district blocks.

• Ongoing work of the different government departments will be communicated to the people.

• Technology training centers will be set up in different regions of the state.

• Assistance will be provided in imparting IT related curricula in educational institutions.

• "e-governance" will be improved as a viable tool of administrative management and monitoring.

• Land revenue and taxation records will be computerised and updated quickly as the inputs accumulate in the months and years to come.

It is recalled that the state Left Front government has already set in motion agreements with the WIPRO and the IBM.

A meeting held in the presence of the Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and representatives of different political parties including all the constituents of the Left Front agreed that for better governance, the large district of Midnapore (the size of medium-sized European country) needed to be split into two. The Bengal Left Front had already approved of the administrative decision some time back. The district has population close to 97.75 lakhs as per the 1991 census.

The two new districts created out of Midnapore would be called Midnapore-east and Midnapore-west. The eastern half will include the sub-divisions of Tamluk, Contai, Egra, and Haldia. The western half, too, will have a quartet of sub-divisions: Midnapore sadr, Kharagpur, Jhargram, and Ghatal.

The only political party to "reserve its opinion" about the bi-furcating of Midnapore proved to be Trinamul Congress which was unable to take a stand and said that they will communicate their views later.

The Midnapore-west district with a population 44-odd lakh will have 29 blocks, 21 Assembly constituencies, and 21 police stations.

The Midnapore-east district has a population of close 40 lakh population, 25 blocks, 16 police stations, and 16 Assembly seats.