West Bengal's violence

Parties' abdication creates space for Bharatiya Janata Party

West Bengal's politics has failed to give up its dependence on violence and intimidation. Indeed, if anything, this dependence is increasing with time. The latest incident - in a district adjoining Kolkata - has shaken the state. The brutally dismembered body of a young man was discovered near a railway line; it turned out to be of Sourav Choudhary, a college student who had led people to demolish an illegal liquor den in his neighbourhood. Local residents told the media and the authorities that this action had incurred the displeasure of a powerful local goon - who has been named "prime accused" by the police and is now absconding. The police were forced to act since some in the local community turned vigilante - they attacked the place of business owned by the accused, and handed over to the police one of his acolytes. Like many of his colleagues across West Bengal, the accused was once a part of the machine of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), which ruled the state for decades; a few years ago, again typically, he shifted to the Trinamool Congress, now in power. This incident comes close on the heels of another public uproar when videos emerged of a Trinamool member of Parliament, Tapas Pal, making an incendiary public speech threatening CPI(M) supporters with murder and rape.

Attacks on social activists (another met his end in the same district, North 24 Parganas, precisely two years ago), and politicians using language that make them liable for criminal prosecution have become a routine feature of public life in West Bengal. Nor has the political leadership acted firmly to reverse the tide. All that the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, has done is to accept an apology from Mr Pal and declared an end to the matter. News reports have subsequently surfaced stating that the video was shot and handed over by local opponents of Mr Pal within his own party. Unsurprisingly, there are almost daily reports of rival factions of Trinamool Congress clashing.

In this scenario, what may be new is the fact that Sourav Choudhary's father owes allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party, or the BJP, and the party has led public protests against the murder. Politically, this fits in with a scenario in which the Left and the Congress are abdicating, and the BJP is seeking to step in as principal opposition. In the parliamentary elections, BJP candidates came second to the winning Trinamool Congress in both the Kolkata constituencies; political opinion in the city is a traditional bellwether. The state election commission has just moved the High Court seeking directions for the timely holding of municipal elections - as the state government has decided to upgrade some municipalities into corporations, which will result in the elections being delayed. This is seen as a delaying tactic. In a tradition in which muscle power is an important arbiter in politics, the space for those who demand better governance seems to be there for the taking.