Was there ever a time when West Bengal was a peaceful land?
I've been living here since 1971 and have seen only violence in different forms. Police vans invading the houses in deep hours of the night and killing the dissident young folk at random, ghastly fight between rival political party members, violence in electoral booths, violence in educational institutions, state massacre of the hapless people at Marichjhapi, brutal killings of the Anandamargis, violence in forcing people to attend meetings at Brigrade Parade Ground, violence in establishing the Promoter Raj, violence in taking away lands from the poor, senseless killing of the Maoists in Jangalmahal, Nandgram genocide etc etc.
The current rulers have also proved their fascination for violence in an extra-ordinary way as you see in the just concluded Loke Sabha poll.
Violence escalates each day. Violence gets to be the order of the day.
Despite my leanings towards the left, I've began to increasingly believe that it's the left - the CPIM in this case - who is responsible for the state of violence that is today. As it has moved away from its ideologies over time, the Leftists, like their comrades elsewhere in the world - has resorted to violence more and more to retain their grip on the people.
The leftists here seem to have gone a full circle. From their zero to zenith position, they have long been on their downturn spiral. Having got just two seats - that too in two remote districts - out of forty two, they can well be a signboard party in the coming assembly election. What a fall!
I've been living here since 1971 and have seen only violence in different forms. Police vans invading the houses in deep hours of the night and killing the dissident young folk at random, ghastly fight between rival political party members, violence in electoral booths, violence in educational institutions, state massacre of the hapless people at Marichjhapi, brutal killings of the Anandamargis, violence in forcing people to attend meetings at Brigrade Parade Ground, violence in establishing the Promoter Raj, violence in taking away lands from the poor, senseless killing of the Maoists in Jangalmahal, Nandgram genocide etc etc.
The current rulers have also proved their fascination for violence in an extra-ordinary way as you see in the just concluded Loke Sabha poll.
Violence escalates each day. Violence gets to be the order of the day.
Despite my leanings towards the left, I've began to increasingly believe that it's the left - the CPIM in this case - who is responsible for the state of violence that is today. As it has moved away from its ideologies over time, the Leftists, like their comrades elsewhere in the world - has resorted to violence more and more to retain their grip on the people.
The leftists here seem to have gone a full circle. From their zero to zenith position, they have long been on their downturn spiral. Having got just two seats - that too in two remote districts - out of forty two, they can well be a signboard party in the coming assembly election. What a fall!
