People's Democracy

Political Significance Of Bengal Panchayat Polls

Biman Basu

COME the 11th of May 2003, the vast rural stretches of West Bengal shall take part in the sixth Panchayat polls.  The three-tier Panchayat system shall subsequently form the rural government in Bengal at three stages of functioning. The rural electorate shall cast their votes to put in office no less than 58,357 representatives.  With the Left Front government having started to propagate the idea of devolution of power and authority to the people deep down to the rural level, the rural populace have evinced a great deal of interest to involve themselves in the working of the Panchayat system at the district-level (in Zilla Parishad), the block-level (Panchayat Samity), and the village- level (Gram Panchayat).

West Bengal has been the first state to introduce the three-tier Panchayat system, hailed in the academic world as the second generation Panchayati Raj.  Back in 1959, the then Indian prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru introduced the first generation Panchayat system with a minimal amount of rights and authority.  The last elections of the first generation Panchayat system took place in 1964. During the tenure of the Congress-run state government, the Panchayat Act of 1973 was framed.  However, due to the lack of political will and of the desire to involve the mass of the people, the Act remained shelved.

In 1977, the Left Front government was formed in Bengal with the mammoth support of the people and on the very day of the oath taking, Jyoti Basu as the chief minister declared that the Left Front government would not function only from the Writers' Buildings.  Jyoti Basu further noted that the LF government would soon revive the local self-governments and would maintain links with the masses directly through these bodies.  As a result, next year, in 1978, the Panchayat elections were held.

In 1978, the Left Front unleashed the campaign for the three-tier Panchayat elections that were held all-over the state.  This was a year after the Left Front government itself has been set up in West Bengal.  During the election campaign, the Left Front went all-out to break the stranglehold of the vested interests in the countryside and to establish the people's Panchayats.

INVOLVEMENT OF THE PEOPLE

In the post election scenario, it was found that all the district-level Zilla Parishads, most of the block-level Panchayat Samity, and the majority of the village-level Gram Panchayats have been won by the Left Front.  And gradually, people from various walks of the rural life, including the agricultural worker or the khet mazdoors, the small peasants, the share croppers or the bargadars, and the rural landless came forward to establish their rightful place in the rural society. 

It is unforgettable how in a brave and resolute manner, the fledgling Panchayats coped with the ravages of the devastating floods of 1978, rendering immense service in carrying out rescue operations, distributing relief, and rebuilding structures during the September and October of that year.  It was this trial by fire that made the Panchayats confident of their abilities.  This confidence became a strong weapon in the hands of the pro-people Left Front government in the distribution of ceiling-surplus land among the rural poor and the landless after vesting those lands in the government.

Over time, the Panchayat system came to establish itself as the true and genuine local self-government in rural Bengal. These democratically elected bodies could create crores of rupees worth of assets in the districts while carrying out day-to-day developmental activities.  It is noteworthy to recall that in the wake of the successful holding of two consecutive Panchayat polls, the attention of the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was drawn and he was constrained to admit in public that the Panchayati system in Bengal was the best in the country, causing in the process a lot of embarrassment to the Pradesh Congress leaders here in this state.
It was during this period of time that the 73rd Amendment of the Indian Constitution was passed to introduce the three-tier Panchayat system all over the country and a scope was created for the reservation of various minorities and of women.  It is important not to forget, however, that reservation for the SC's, and ST's, and for women, as well the lowering of the age of the exercise of voting rights to 18 years were already in place and operative in Bengal for some time.  We cannot also let slip of the sordid fact that it had been the Congress (I) that had moved court to try and get the rural polls cancelled.

Gradually, through the direct participation of the rural people, the three tiers of the Panchayati Raj started to embark and complete the setting up of roads that connected villages, bridges that made the rivers and water bodies passable entirely through the deployment of voluntary labour.  They started a vigorous campaign against illiteracy, set up schools buildings, and unleashed a health awareness drive.

RURAL POOR EMPOWERED

It was with the sincere efforts of the Panchayats, utilising the assistance and drive of the National Literacy Mission and the pro-people approach of the Left Front government, that the literacy campaign could be made largely a success in the state. The awareness campaign conducted among the rural people along with the initiative that helped form the self-help groups could result in the creation of no less than 65,000 such groups in Bengal. Many more such groups are coming up at present.  This has opened a new vista before the rural womenfolk.  In its election manifesto for the May 11 Panchayat polls, the Left Front has declared its intention to set up more than two lakh of self-help groups in Bengal.  This kind of rural initiative shall give a solid boost to cottage and small-scale industries in the countryside.
A detailed picture of the ongoing and planned activities of the Panchayats will take up a great deal of space because of the vastness of the scale of the initiative. Here, we would confine ourselves to stating that the Panchayat system has helped the implementation of the pro-people policies of the Left Front government by increasing foodgrains production, and the production of vegetables, a rapid extension of sericulture and pisciculture, spread of social forestry, and widening the mass base of education and literacy, while setting up child education centres, undertaking an expansion of health and sanitary services, organising rural sports and culture, instilling a sense of dignity in the hearts and minds of the rural folk, and preserving and broadening unity, integrity, communal harmony, and a sense of general awareness.  All these activities have helped the creation of social assets in the state.

FURTHER DEVOLUTION OF POWER ENVISAGED

Ours is not the largest state in the country. Yet, we find that the number of people who are elected to the three-tiers of the Panchayati system are much larger in number than those in the largest state of India.  It is also important to remember that nowhere else in the country could the second-generation Panchayat elections be held for more than four terms except here in Bengal.  In this state, of course, we are about to go in for the rural polls for the sixth consecutive time.  This has been undoubtedly made possible because of the continuing existence of the popular and pro-people Left front government.
Due to these policies of the Left Front government, about 11 lakh acres of land could be distributed among the landless rural people and of which 57 per cent (of the land) went to SC and ST communities.  Women got land separately and joint patta were given to the sharecropper's -both men and women together. As a result, the reservation of SC and ST seats along with reservation for women could be easily materialised through our Panchayat system.  This year our Party nominated women in about 41 per cent seats in the three-tier Panchayat polls though the provision envisaged constitutionally is for 33 per cent.  This has served to directly help the issue of the empowerment of women.

We are not afraid of facing the people.  Our Left Front government stands promise-bound to serve the interests of the common people, especially the poorer sections of the society.  As a result, and through its intimate experience of the functioning of the Panchayati system, the left front government has allotted 50% of the Plan formulation and plan implementation resources to the local self governments – urban as well as rural.  The Panchayat bodies, too, stand firm in their commitment to serve poor and backward sections of the rural mass.  The Left Front government stands firmly committed to increasing the extension of democracy in rural Bengal through the further activation of the village sansads and the village sabhas in a regular manner, ensuring the participation of the majority of the electorate.  It also stands committed to further decentralising the Panchayat system and in the post-election scenario, we are to go in for additional amendments to the Panchayat Act and other related Acts for further devolution of powers to the three-tier Panchayat system.