Panchayat Polls In Bengal

  Harkishan Singh Surjeet

THE forthcoming panchayat elections in West Bengal have drawn attention for more reasons than one.  In the run-up to the elections, a concerted campaign is being orchestrated against the Left Front; a campaign not backed by facts but ably aided and abetted by sections of the media, ever bent on slandering the Left. In election after election since 1978, the bogey of “rigging” has been raised against the CPI(M) and the Left. Even phrases such as “scientific rigging” were coined. Even while terror campaigns were organised against the CPI(M) and the Left Front voters and supporters, the attackers projected themselves as the victims. It was no surprise, therefore, when the opposition parties in West Bengal mounted a vilification campaign, this time accusing the CPI(M) and the Left Front of not allowing the candidates from the opposition parties to file their nominations. Offence, they feel, is the best form of defence. This in itself is an admission of defeat much before the actual polls.

Unlike in the greater part of the country, panchayat elections are being held regularly in West Bengal since 1978.  This is the sixth panchayat election since the first Left Front ministry under Jyoti Basu took office.  Under the three-tier panchayat system, administrative and financial powers have been devolved to the grassroots level and the rural folk have been made participants.

RADICAL CHANGE

Also, unlike many other parts of the country, the Panchayat system in West Bengal is free from the control of vested interests and bureaucracy. The representatives of vested interests themselves have been put on the defensive and their power and control have been curbed.  The rural development policy and the re-distributive land reforms undertaken under the auspices of the Left Front government of West Bengal has resulted in a tremendous growth of the rural economy during the past 25 years. 

Towards the aim of empowering women, the Left Front has put up women candidates in no less than 40 per cent of the seats.  

This participatory democracy involving the entire rural masses of West Bengal has shaken the vested interests to the core and instilled fear in them. It is this fear of people’s empowerment, the rural poor being vested with administrative and financial powers that are frightening them. The breaking of the stranglehold over  power has brought about a radical change in the rural landscape. It is this changed rural landscape that has terrorised the vested interests and their champions the TMC, BJP and the Congress. 

It is this reality that has made them level the unfounded and unsubstantiated charge of their candidates being prevented to file nominations. The fact remains that the people of West Bengal, acting on their own experience, have chosen to reject the so-called grand alliance or mahajot of the opposition parties like the Trinamul Congress, the Congress, and the BJP. 

These opposition parties for a variety of reasons waited till the last moment to file their nominations. Right from the beginning they were beset with problems. Apart from the normal bickerings over seat adjustment and factional feuds, this time a huge number of their workers were unwilling to face the electorate, in the face of certain defeat.  In most of the cases where the charge of ‘forcible’ prevention of filing of nomination has been made, it has been found that these parties were unable to find candidates to contest on their tickets.

This time, elections are being held to 58,357 seats in the three-tier Panchayat system. The process of filing of nomination has remained peaceful and orderly. Nomination papers of many candidates were rejected during the process of scrutiny also. This included candidates of the Left Front also. It is on account of both the organisational weakness of the opposition and rejection of papers at the time of scrutiny that led to 6283 seats going uncontested this time. This is a little bit higher as compared to the earlier polls.

THE “BIG” RALLY

That the people of West Bengal have overwhelmingly rejected the campaign of lies and distortion indulged in by the TMC-BJP alliance was amply demonstrated by the turnout at the “big rally” organised by the alliance in Kolkata on April 24. The rally was an utter fiasco with not more than 2000 people participating. How many of the 20-30,000 candidates “prevented” from filing their nomination turned up at the rally is anybody’s guess.  And this at a rally where the TMC-BJP big shots like Mamata Banerjee, Venkaiah Naidu and Shatrughan Sinha were present.

All these complaints of “forcible” prevention are being made through a section of the media ever bent on discrediting the CPI(M) and the Left Front. Not a single complaint has been lodged with the concerned authorities regarding forcible prevention of filing of nomination papers or of forcible withdrawal of candidature.  No FIR’s have been filed with the police in the whole state. This orchestrated campaign, as mentioned earlier, is a sign of the weakness of the opposition, the total disarray amongst its ranks and the popularity of the Left Front among the people.

If anybody can claim to be victims of intimidation and terror, it is the cadre and supporters of the Left Front. In the run-up to the panchayat polls, no less than eight workers of the Left Front have been killed and another five have been severely injured.  The charge of terror reads like a paradox against the fact that it has been the LF that has been at the receiving end of attacks all the time. Over the past 25 years, it may be recalled, no less than 3500 workers of the Left Front have been killed at the hands of these very forces.

LEFT FRONT

Even while the Left Front is unitedly facing the electoral battle, it would have been better had the LF constituents realised the importance of strengthening and deepening Left Front unity in a situation where vested interests have ganged up against the Left front. The attitude displayed by some constituent parties of the Left Front, especially the RSP, is unfortunate and avoidable.

The Left Front has to its credit a long list of achievements in the rural areas.  It initiated re-distributive land reforms.  West Bengal possesses 2.5 per cent of the cultivable area of the total area in India.  Yet over 20 per cent of the re-distributed, ceiling-surplus land is in West Bengal.  The number of kisans who possess patta deeds in land and are recipients of habitable land plots are no less than 46 lakh, which is half the number of such beneficiaries in the whole country.  Small and marginal peasants own 72 per cent of the cultivable land in West Bengal.  

Around 10.73 lakh acres of ceiling surplus land have been taken out of the possession of the rich peasants and the jotdars, and have been re-distributed among 26.81 lakh of the landless and the rural poor in West Bengal. Land reforms have provided the rural poor with dignity and have made them conscious of their rights.  94 per cent of the land parcels being used for agricultural purposes are in small plots and owned by the rural poor.  15 lakh sharecroppers or bargadars have received patta deeds.  Over five lakh of joint pattas (husband and wife)  have been issued.

Land reform and other measures have contributed to an enhancement in the purchasing power of the rural people. The rural-based cottage and small-scale industries have progressed apace.  The average rate of growth of agriculture, industry, and production in West Bengal is higher than that of the country.  Considerable progress could be achieved in the realms of education and health as well.

The Left Front is determined to consolidate the gains and further expand and deepen people’s participation and contribution through institutions like the panchayats.  The Left Front in West Bengal will seek to devolve more power to the panchayats with this aim in mind.

It is these gains that we are banking on, unlike the opposition’s negative and self-defeating campaign. We are confident that the achievements and positive attitude of the Left Front will stand us in good stead. We are confident that the people of West Bengal basing on their own experience will ensure an emphatic win for the Left Front. We are equally sure that all the canards of the opposition will be decisively rejected and they will be shown their place.