Both national and state-specific factors are responsible for the poor performance of the party in the polls, Shyamal Chakraborty, a member of the CPI(M) central committee, tells RAJAT ROY.
The Left leaders did not have any inkling of what was going to happen in these elections. Why?
This is a question that is haunting many of us. But, remember, we (party) are yet to finish our review and assessment. So, whatever explanation I will offer now will be from a subjective point of view.
Why we failed to anticipate the disaster? We failed to anticipate the same during the panchayat elections last year. It’s true there was some slackness in the working of the panchayats. But despite that, we could not anticipate the result. Earlier also, in 1984, after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, we could not anticipate that the urban voters would vote against us. Why? I think the people who voted against us did it silently and did not make their intention public. This time also, the voters did the same.
The problem with urbanisation is that more and more people now live in housing complexes and apartments, and compared with the older days, chances of contacting people at their home have decreased substantially. People living in the same housing complex seldom have close contact or exchange of opinion with one other. So, it is becoming increasingly difficult to read the urban voters’ mind.
Does this not indicate that the party has lost touch with the people?
No, I don’t agree. Otherwise, how did we get around 43 per cent of the votes? Let us admit that this time, neither our party nor the opposition was taken into confidence by the voters.
You must have identified some reasons for the voters turning away from the Left
Land-related issues are a major concern. In the first two terms of the panchayati raj, some major gains were achieved. Compared with the present days, the panchayat system did not have much funds those days. Yet, the elected members showed creativity and initiative to do some good work for the poor people.
More From This Section
Surplus land was distributed to the landless and the share-croppers were legally protected against eviction. Lives of a number of poor people were improved by that. But, over the last three decades, the land has got fragmented within the family. As a result, more and more people in rural Bengal are leaving cultivation and getting involved in non-agricultural jobs. In 1991, only 29 per cent of the rural population was engaged in non-agricultural work, which jumped to 42 per cent in 2001. Today, I think the figure would be around 50 per cent. That is the reason a number of people started migrating to Mumbai, Surat and elsewhere in search of work. They are mostly construction labourers and workers in gold and jewellery industries.
But you could not resolve this land-related question
Unless we create jobs in other sectors, mostly in manufacturing, the migration will continue. But, how to keep a balance between land (farming) and industry, that is the biggest challenge for us. We are riding the tiger here. Take the case of the proposed chemicals hub at Nayachar. Already, voices are being raised against it from various quarters. The scientists are divided about the benefits of such projects. We will have to consider that. Also, we need to assess the positives and negatives of the project by assessing the experiences of other countries where such projects are in operation. How to reach an informed decision about it is a challenge.
Is that the only way out?
No, we are concentrating on the unorganised sector in a big way. Already, the state government has prepared a contingency plan and allocated Rs 5,000 crore to offset some impact of the economic downturn.
Below-Poverty Line (BPL) people have started getting rice at Rs 2 per kg . Now, the scheme will also include Above-Poverty Line (APL) people. Rs 1,000 crore have been allocated for building houses for the poor. At least 300,000 families will benefit from this scheme in the next few years. That alone will create a good number of jobs at the local level. For the workers in the unorganised sector, the state government has launched a provident fund. But bureaucracy takes time, so it is yet to be operational. For the construction workers, we are introducing pensions and medical allowances. For working women, a special allowance equal to four months’ salary during pre-natal period is being introduced. A newly formed welfare board for construction workers will look after them. The fund will come from the project cost. A levy of 1 per cent on any project above Rs 10 lakh will help raise funds for the welfare of the construction workers. Unfortunately, our party could not highlight all these in our campaign.
The Muslims in the state turned their back on you. Why?
The Sachar Committee report was responsible to an extent. We could not fight it politically. We took a defensive position, which did not help us at all. Actually, the Sachar Commission report took a partial view. It concentrated mostly on Muslims’ presence in government and quasi-government jobs. But in West Bengal, 19 per cent Muslims live in rural areas, while 21 per cent Muslims got land during the last 30 years. In the three-tier panchayat system, the presence of elected Muslims is 21 per cent, 22 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively. So, you cannot deny that they have been empowered. The government’s Madrasa Board has not only offered them free education but also helped them modernise their curriculum. We had prepared a sub-plan for the Muslims but did not get support from the Centre.
What lies ahead in the coming days?
It should not be seen only in the light of the coming Assembly elections. I feel the setback will do us good. I won’t say that it was necessary, but one must keep it in mind that in the last 32 years, our party workers had not experienced defeat. Initially, there will be some nervousness among a section of the workers. Some may even become inactive. But I am sure that the shake-up will augur well for the party, which will learn to introspect seriously, identify the urgent tasks to be done and motivate the workers to face the days ahead.