Cancellation of the proposed 48-hour bandh is a great relief from abject absurdity and thoughtlessness. On TV (Star Ananda) last evening, the opposition MLA, Sadhan Pande said that the bandh was in protest against government’s complete disregard of their opinion. Facts though speak otherwise.
But if for a moment Mr. Pande’s argument is agreed to, which is tantamount to the assumption that the government is acting like a dictator, let us remind ourselves that the condition in his party is even worse. Voices of dissent are rarely heard and in fact the party runs completely along the whims of a single person.
The moot point is however not who is more dictator-like and adamant and who is not. The way protests are being organized against Singur plant indicate there is more to it than what plain eye can see.
That the opposition will try to grab political opportunity to thwart state’s industrial progress can still be understood, though nowhere on earth does this happen except perhaps some banana republics in Africa.
What is disturbing is that many people seem divided on the issue. Let me specifically take the example of what one Bhaskar Bhattacharjee of Srirampur, Hooghly wrote in today’s ABP (Anandabazar Patrika, Letters to Editor, Dec 21).
If I understood him correctly (the letter is written in Bengali), Bhaskar makes 2 points in his narration:
- Since the left came to power in the 70s on the back of struggles in favor of peasants and workers, therefore today for them to talk about investment is nothing but surrender to big industrialists.
- Since the government is not listening to the opposition, and since the latter has only few days back carved out a place of shame in history by ransacking the Assembly House, who will therefore effectively don the mantle to oppose the government’s ‘misdeeds’?
Strangely, none of the 2 arguments deals with the main issue, which is whether or not we must have the car factory, and if yes where? Will it be a place chosen by the investor or one directed by the government (or the opposition)?
I’m very curious to know if any of the protesters will agree to build their own house in places forced by the government. If not, then going by the adage ‘charity begins at home‘, no protester has the moral right to ask an investor to do what he/she will not do with his/her own money.
But Bhaskar Bhattacharjee speaks about 70s. Going by his argument, today’s LF government must not abrogate its past, and must remain stuck to its dogma of 70s. Unfortunately for him, no dogma, no ‘ism’, no stance is indestructible. Every ‘concept’, unless backed by science, has limited shelf-life, no matter he likes it or not.
For that matter, does he ensure that his sons and daughters and their sons and daughters do not aim for big achievements in life, I wonder? To justify his love for 70s he must, because at that time options for aiming big in life were just not there. Once again, don’t you agree that he must do ‘it’ at home before mustering courage to preach others?
Bhaskar’s 2nd point is even more laughable. He is more concerned about who will oppose the government. Doesn’t matter if the opposition is detrimental to people’s interests, has far-reaching damaging consequences, but oppose one must.
If that be so, why there is no opposition, no campaign, no struggle against nepotism and corruption at every sphere of life? Does Bhaskar Bhattacharjee have any answer?
Related reading:
Leave a Reply