People's Democracy

THE 12-hour bandh on June 7, called by the Trinamul Congress as a measure of desperation for political survival in West Bengal, proved a big flop. The people chose to reject the latest in the long line of the Trinamul’s motivated and counter-progressive political moves, and comprehensively.

Earlier, the Trinamul Congress leadership had chosen not to respond to the letter of Bengal chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who had asked them to withdraw the bandh, and to discuss the issues on the supposed basis of which they had called the bandh.

The feverish efforts of a section of the corporate electronic media to try to focus attention of the viewing public on what was touted as "proof" of the "success" of the bandh turned out to be an amateurish and crude exercise in disinformation.

Briefing the media at the Muzaffar Ahmad Bhavan in the evening, Left Front chairman Biman Basu felicitated the politically conscious people of Bengal for playing a positive role in ensuring that the rhythm of daily life was not disturbed.

Right from the early hours, the transport system got on an overload as usual with commuters, and the rural stretches came alive with kisans tending the kharif (early monsoon) crops. There was very little one could find out to make the day an exception to the rule. Indeed, the processions taken out by the Left Front workers throughout Bengal, condemning the anti-people bandh, perhaps served to remind the people of the fact that the bandh declared by a political party was supposedly "on."

The responsibility for the fact that normalcy was allowed to prevail could hardly be laid at the Trinamul’s doors. Trinamul Congress activists admittedly tried their level best, and (one might add) against heavy odds, to generate disturbance and disruption.

They tried to organise blockades on the rail lines. They tried to ransack government offices before the employees would come in. They tried to intimidate commuters by breaking glass panes in the windows of a few buses. But their pathetic efforts were destined to end up, and they did end up, in ignominious failures. However, they were loath to read the writing on the wall. They gave up their ill-motivated efforts only when and where they were chased away by the people.

Interestingly, always keen on stoning a state government bus or two on isolated stretches of the Kolkata roads, the Trinamul Congress braves gave a wide berth to private buses, which had come out flying with the Red Flag. The police made 1800-odd arrests, mostly for attempts at squatting on railway tracks and trying to forcibly close shops.

Rural areas and industrial belts remained active with the quantum of power consumption being higher than average. Shops and establishments started to open by mid-morning after the initial fear of Trinamul Congress rowdies running riot had acted as a temporary deterrent. Train services were marginally disrupted, for a short period, in the early morning hours. (Thereafter, the railways went back to their usual errant ways.) The ports remained alive with activities throughout the day. Flights took off from and landed at the Dum Dum airport at regular intervals. Ferry services plied as usual.

Banks, insurance corporations and business offices remained fully functional as did all the government offices, although in the districts the attendance was 90 per cent of the normal figure, mostly due to the early disruption of train services. Educational institutions continued to enjoy the summer break.

A few persons, waving the Trinamul Congress banner and threatening to electrocute themselves if they were evicted from Kolkata’s Metro rail tracks, proved a bother for a brief period before being unceremoniously taken away by the Kolkata police amidst minor scuffles.

By early afternoon, the split over the question of withdrawing the bandh in good time, which had appeared some days back in the ranks of the Trinamul leaders, had widened appreciably. An uncharacteristically sober Mamata Banerjee was found enlightening the media that the bandh had "made her more responsive to the likes and dislikes of the people," and that she was now quite ready to "speak constructively" with the Left Front government on "various issues of importance."

Presumably, the issues on the supposed basis of which the bandh was called did not form a part of those "various issues."

Earlier, the Bengal Left Front has resolved to oppose the anti-people bandh called by Trinamul Congress. Speaking to the Kolkata media at the Muzaffar Ahmad Bhavan on June 4 evening, state CPI(M) secretary Anil Biswas had said the bandh was "nothing but an attempt by the Trinamul Congress to draw political mileage even at the cost of causing inconvenience to the people."

The bandh, said Biswas, was based on issues with which the Left Front government had nothing to do. The ills the Trinamul Congress cited to justify the bandh call should rightly be laid at the door of the union government of the BJP-led NDA that has the Trinamul as a constituent.

Having once again appealed to the Trinamul Congress to withdraw the bandh, Biswas added to say that if the bandh was not withdrawn despite the request, the Left Front workers would come out in order to campaign among the mass of the people against the bandh throughout the state.

The CPI(M) leader called upon the people not to be provoked in any manner but remain vigilant against all attempts at unleashing violence and disorder.

Speaking to the media at the Shramik Bhavan the same evening, CITU leader Chittabrata Majumdar called the bandh irrational and anti-people. Majumdar said that the mass of the workers and employees would "ensure that the wheels of production turned apace as usual on June 7."