Unity of poor is important for us

Interview with Biman Bose, West Bengal State secretary of the CPI(M).

IN this interview with Frontline, Biman Bose, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member and West Bengal State secretary and Left Front chairman, states emphatically that there shall be no discrimination in the villages against people who were opposed to the CPI(M). Excerpts:

Is the 11-month-long problem in Nandigram finally over?

I am hopeful that the problems in Nandigram will be finally over very soon. The process has already started. This has to be accelerated and the confidence has to be restored among the people of Nandigram and the ties between them rebound. It has to be done in such a manner that they once again feel like brothers and sisters of the same village, as they used to not long ago. I appeal to the people of Nandigram to go back to their homes and lead their family lives in peace. Our party is assuring that a peaceful atmosphere will be maintained, and the administration is assuring them of full safety and security. Nobody will be taking their Nandigram away from them.

In your appeal do you also include those who took the side of the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh (Land Eviction Resistance) Committee (BUPC)? How will you ensure they are not going to be discriminated against?

Our appeal is very clear. There should not be any discrimination on the basis of peoples political beliefs and association with political parties. All evicted people should be treated on the same footing. Each and every affected individual, irrespective of his or her political affiliation, will get all the help and cooperation not only from the administration but also, I assure you, from the CPI(M) .

Though maximum damage to property has been on the side of the CPI(M) supporters, those who supported the BUPC also suffered losses. Whoever did it on either side did not do the right thing. Differences in a village should not be settled in this manner. Let me make one thing very clear, we do not like to discriminate between poor people in villages. The unity of the poor people is a very important thing for us in our struggle against exploiters. It is unforgivable to break the unity of the poorer section of society.

What is the CPI(M)s priority in its efforts to restore normalcy in Nandigram?

First, we are giving a lot of importance to rehabilitation and reconstruction of the damaged [houses] of [people of] all parties. For that we are collecting funds; we have already given a call at all levels of the party to start collecting funds and food items for the people of Nandigram. I have made an appeal to the people of the State to extend aid in whatever way they can. Funds from various districts are already flowing into Nandigram.

The communication [network] in the region has to be restored immediately. It is also in the interest of the CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] stationed there that this be done as fast as possible. Roads have been dug up, culverts broken, and the approach to bridges lie damaged. These have to be repaired on an emergency footing using the help of the local people, who will be paid for their efforts. Around Rs.8 crore meant for development work in Nandigram has been lying unutilised for more than 11 months; this has to be made use of. [The programme to generate] 100 days work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is being started in full swing.

It is our effort to ensure peace through a social aspect. The spirit of unity, of not seeing themselves separate from one another, is very important and has to be brought about in Nandigram. Only through this process will social tension make way for social peace. We need peace, we are for peace. Peace is our refrain not just in Nandigram but all over the State.

What is your view on Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhis public statement?

The Governor said, and I quote, The manner in which the recapture of Nandigram villages is being attempted is totally unlawful and unacceptable. I want to draw your attention to the word recapture. Now, the Governor is a learned person and if he says the recapture of Nandigram is unacceptable, then, reversely, it implies that the capture of Nandigram was lawful and acceptable. Much as I am reluctant to draw such an analogy, the press release of the Governor has given scope to do so. This sort of a comment is thoroughly unexpected from a Governor. He has collected information on the basis of which he made his statement; but if his source of information is faulty, then his entire conclusion is faulty too.

Now, I would like to draw your attention to the concluding part of his statement. He said: Enough is enough. Peace and security should be restored without any delay from where they have been evicted from Nandigram. If he only made this concluding statement four or five months ago, then possibly some meaningful development could have taken place in the villages he mentioned in the press release.

It is possibly not clear to the Governor what he should do and what he should avoid. He can summon any top official, any Minister, including the Chief Minister for discussion; he can send his secret report to the Government of India; but can he be swayed by some of the NGOs [non-governmental organisations] and prominent public figures who are presenting him with lies? What he is sometimes doing is out of his constitutional parameter. He should not be swayed by the hue and cry of the Trinamul Congress chief on the atrocities of the CPI(M) cadre without checking and rechecking.

Where is the evidence to back their accusations? The Opposition claims that so many of their people have died in the violence. Then why can they not give their names and the [names of the] villages? Look [showing a list of names], here are the names of all the CPI(M) workers who have been killed by the BUPC right from 7.01.07 to 3.11.07. The first death is of Sankar Samanta and the last name on the list is of Tapan Manna. After November 3, there have been a few more deaths which takes the CPI(M) toll to over 30. Which party can show the names of their dead and the names of the villages they came from, that is what I want to know.

There are people who act just based on emotion. Unfortunately, our Governor sometimes behaves like that, and that is not desirable in a Governor. He can work through the State and Central government, but not by himself. He is not here to do any politics or associate himself with any political party. He should be totally impartial, and this is the second time he has stepped out of line.

What about a section of intellectuals who were once firmly behind the policies of the CPI(M) but are now organising rallies against you?

I think they are misled. They will realise the truth after some time, and the realisation of the truth might make them change their position in the future. I would not like to pass any comment on them at this point. I have been told that some of these intellectuals have made personal attacks on the Chief Minister as well as a poor man like me. I do not want to reply to their accusations. If people from the enlightened society embark on a personal attack, I will be the last person to answer them back. I am a poor man and my lifestyle is different from theirs and I really have no words to answer them.

Would you agree that public perception of the CPI(M) has changed to some extent?

Our mission and our vision have not changed. But due to some of the misgivings of the Left Front partners and the discord created by them, those who are against us are getting scope to capitalise politically. When dissension takes place in the Left Front, it creates confusion among the general people, and there is no denying that there are some die-hard anti-communists who take advantage of this confusion.

Secondly, it is a fact that the way we want to implement our programmes, in some cases it is not being done the way we would like [it] to [be done]. It is one thing to make a mistake that is forgivable; but when it is a case of a genuine wrong-doing, we do not spare the perpetrator of the crime. But it has been seen that those expelled from our party are still being identified as being a part of the CPI(M) in certain areas and that is where they are causing a lot of damage to the partys reputation.

But despite all this, we are confident that once we start a systematic campaign among the people and show them our success chart, the public perception of today will be totally different tomorrow. But the bottom line is we were communists, we are communists and we will remain communists.

After all the criticisms that the Left Front partners have levelled at the CPI(M) on the Nandigram issue, as chairman of the Left Front, do you feel the Left Front alliance is still strong?

I am confident that our differences will be overcome by our bilateral discussions and by discussing all the issues in our Left Front meetings. In an era of coalition governments, the Left Front government here in West Bengal should stand as a model. Clearing the air around us does not mean that the CPI(M) does not need the Left Front or vice versa. We need each other and I feel the alliance can be strengthened if each of us strengthens ourselves.