Volume 6, No. 11, December. 2005

 

Starvation in ‘Left’s’ Oasis

Ayan

Mr. Budhadeb Bhattacharjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal ‘Left’ Front Govt., has repeatedly stated that his govt. is very much concerned about the condition of the poor people of the state. This govt. does not allow anyone in the state to die of starvation, he says. It has also been assured again and again that the ‘Left’ front govt. led by the CPI (M) is ready to face any such eventualities. The stark reality has already exposed the hollowness of all this tall talk and assurances. It has once again been vindicated that there is no real difference between the ‘Left’ front govt. and other state govts.

In fact starvation stalks various parts of the state. It has already spread its dreadful arms to West Midnapore, Murshidabad, the Tea gardens of North Bengal, Bankura, Purulia and even to Kumarpukur village, which is only 17 km away from the Writers’ Building, the HQ of the West Bengal govt. The media have been flashing one after another harrowing tales of starvation deaths. It was reported in the last year that five persons of the Sabar tribe starved to death in Amlasole of West Midnapore district. This report embarrass-ed the state govt. and its administration. Mr. Budha’s "pro-poor" district administra-tion first tried to conceal the fact and alleged that the report was cooked up by the media. But the administration could not sustain its allegation as Kailash Muda, a local committee member of the CPI (M) and Pardhan of Amlasole gram panchayat had also reported the death of five Sabar tribal people due to starvation. This report prompted a lot of debate, discussion and investigation to find out the actual cause of death. The district and State level leaders of the CPI (M) and other parliamentary parties rushed to the village, expressed their ‘great’ concern and promised to do their best for the development of the area. While CPI (M) leaders on the one hand tried to delude the people of the Sabar tribe providing some relief and promising developmental programmes, on the other they also criticized and threatened Kailash Muda for his open statement. All the constituent parties of NDA and UPA tried their best to win over the people for their narrow political interests. Then, within a few months the game of mainstream politics came to an end. The flood of sympathy died down. And the plight of the people of Amlasole remains same as it was.

Just after this heart-rending incident media persons put forward some question to Mr. Budha; with stunning smartness the mindless chief minister retorted – why do you refer to only one Amlasole? There are so many Amlasoles. You have no knowledge that so many Amlasoles are developing in the slums of Kolkata. The media person didn’t ask him, as to why such an appalling plight of the people still persists even after three decades of their uninterrupted rule. No doubt, Mr. Budha, the efficient representative of the CPI (M), has correctly indicated that there are so many Amlasoles not only in rural Bengal but also in the city slums of Kolkata. Even then neither Mr. Budha and his party nor the ‘Left’ front govt. and its administration recognize that there have been incidents of starvation deaths in different parts of the state. They rather doggedly argue like other state govts. ruled by the constituent parties of either NDA or UPA, that those incidents have taken place due to malnutrition, disease or old age. It takes months together to accept the fact that the reason for the death has been starvation. Even on that occasion they argue that the number of starvation deaths is very low in this state as compared to other states.

These barefaced leaders do not even hesitate to ignore their tall claims and promises. Mr. Budha in an interview with ‘Star Anand’ TV Channel unabashedly explained that one or two incidents of starvation death might have been there, but those were exceptions. The rural society of Bengal has a different culture. Here neighbors are very helpful and cooperative to each other. They do not allow anybody to die in starvation! It is really a great realization! Where people of the entire area are in wretched conditions how do they show their hospitality to others? In fact belying Mr. Budha’s in-depth knowledge about the socio-cultural tradition of rural Bengal, Lula Sabar died due to starvation in that very Amlasole village, just after a year! What an irony! Hunger haunts every family and family relations become meaningless. Few days before his death Lula Sabar’s wife went to her daughter’s house to meet her hunger. While her daughter left her husband and was staying with another person to get rid of hunger. This is the ground reality. The CPI (M) leaders like Mr. Budha do not realize this and balloons socio-cultural tradition of rural Bengal to cover this inhuman condition of rural people.

Amlasole is not an exception. The people of Barikul in Bankura district and those of Bandwan in Purulia district are also facing abject poverty. Cultivation in this area is still completely dependent on the monsoon. There is no provision for irrigation. Joblessness is a persistent phenomenon along with crop failure. Even after three decades of ‘Left’ front rule the people of these areas do not have health centres, electricity and any provision for drinking water. The vast majority of the people are suffering from malnutrition and gradually heading towards premature death. Though the deaths due to starvation are common, one cannot find such deaths in the official record.

Mr. Budha Bhatacharjee knows that the people of Narayangarh block of West Midnapur district are also in abysmal proverty. The much trumpeted development programme of his govt. does not reach there. Here a good number of people are living in ghupris (Small huts built in woods and leave). It is even difficult for them to manage two square meals every day. There are no irrigation facilities. So even those who have a small plot of land (mostly patta land) cannot cultivate it for want of water. Of course the pro-poor govt. has provided mini tube wells for irrigation. But the people are so poor that they cannot purchase diesel to run those tube wells. Their source of income is either to work as day-labourers or collect shal leaves from the forest. As they can engage themselves as day labourers only for few days, the principal source of their income is shal leaves for which they get only Rs.10/- for 1000 leaves. In this condition can they avoid starvation? How do they cooperate with each other to get rid of starvation?

Thanks to the Chief Minister of the ‘left’ front govt.! He has correctly stated that there are many Amlasols. One can find some Amlasols in Galaugi of Murshidabad district, where people are dying due to starvation. In the village of Dayarampur and other adjacent villages, including Udaya-nagar, Suryanagar colony and Paraspur "every day some one or the other dies of hunger." According to Dr. Ashish Kumar Ghosh, the Medical Officer attached with the Rural Health Centre, "the entire area is under threat of insufficient nutritious food." The indication is very clear, what more can a doctor, who is attached with RHC, tell publicly? Since 25th February to 16th March, 2005 about 7 peoples died due to starvation. Most of those people are agri-labourers.

Labourers of closed Tea gardens of North Bengal are also facing the same deplorable conditions. Their plight has become so miserable and unbearable that female members of the families have to adopt flesh-trading!

Even then the ‘left’ front govt. claims that they are very much concerned about the condition of the rural poor. The CPI(M), the leading party of the ‘left’ front govt. continues to claim that they have achieved great success in implementation of the land-reform programme. ‘Operation bargha’ is an example, as it is stated by them, of their pro-poor political attitude. And the ‘left’ front govt. have changed the profile of rural Bengal, of course without affecting the basic structure of the economy. What is the result?

The Human Development Report of West Bengal published in Sept.’05 gives a different picture, a dismal picture! It has been stated in the report that small peasants, who got land through land reforms and those bargadars became permanent bargadars (tenant peasants) registering their name in the official record are giving up their lands as they cannot cultivate for want of money. Half the rural families have no land in 1999-2000. It has also given a picture of rural proverty on the basis of govt. statistics. In 1999-2000, about 50% of agri-labourers, 31% of other labourers, 20% of self-employed in agriculture and 27% of self-employed in outside agriculture, were living below the proverty level. This report was published by the govt. of West Bengal and it was prepared under the guidance of Ms. Jayati Ghosh, an economist having sympathy to the ‘left’ front govt. and its policies. So it is not possible for the CPI(M) party, ‘left’ front govt. and its Chief Mr. Bhattacharjee to term it as a concocted one. This report clearly shows that changes that have taken place, went against the rural poor. And the rural poor of West Bengal have become more and more impoverished. Due to this impoverishment a good number of children have been suffering from under-nutrition. Though the percentage of children suffering from under-nutrition is equal to that of Gujrat and Orissa, the infant mortality ratio (IMR) of West Bengal is far lower than those states. How can it be possible? This question becomes more pertinent when it has been commented in the report that in West Bengal women and children are deprived of particular nutritious food. The rate of under-nutritious/mal-nutritious children and their mothers of the state is lower than that of the all India average rate. So far "chronic energy deficiency" is concerned, it ranks 8th out of 9 states. And as per "body mass index" it ranks 24th of 25 states. It should be kept in mind that this report has been prepared on the basis of the state govt. statistics. Generally, statistical profiles are very dry and cannot give realistic accounts of real life and more so when it is based on govt. statistics, which are definitely class-biased. Nevertheless, this report does not correspond with the claims of the ‘left’ front govt. Rather this report, with all its limitation, gave a picture of under-nutrition/mal-nutrition, landlessness and growing impoverishment, which is no less disheartening. Though the reality is far more heart-rending.

When joblessness, landlessness and hunger pervade rural Bengal, Mr. Budha Bhattacharjee and his "pro-poor" govt. are in hectic haste to change the ‘ceiling act.’ This is necessary, as they argue, for the purpose of removing proverty, joblessness and for economic development of West Bengal. But facts tell another story, they want to satisfy the demand of capitalists – both foreign and indigenous ones. They demand land – more and more land for urbanization, and other economic projects entailing more eviction from agri-land, more joblessness and a few provisions for emplo-yment. The CPI(M) leaders have already expressed that agri-land must have to be acquired for urbanization. The ‘left’ front govt. led by them made amendments to the land reform act in 2000 for this purpose. According to this amendment, agri-land even with Bargadar (tenant peasant with recorded rights) can be acquired for rapid industrialization. It means the eviction of bargadars would be made legal.

The foreign and indigenous capitalists demand land – more and more land. The CPI(M) and the ‘left’ front govt. have been destroying the livelihood of thousands of people to meet their demand. How many people have already lost their land and homes? A complete picture is not available yet to this date. According to one source, it is not less than 49 thousands – 26 thousands for developing Rajarhat township of 24 perganas district, 8 thousand for building a leather complex in Bantala and for the purpose of a Link Road between Barasat and Kulpi, and another 15 thousands families will have to face the same consequence to provide land to the Salim group, a notorious Indonesian company. According to another source, the figure will be far more than the above one.

The Chief Minister is considerate enough! He does not forget to assure work for those, who have to lose their lands. What sort of jobs will be provided for them? That has also been mentioned. Those are jobs of – watchman, barber, servant, guard, vegetable-peddlers etc. Thus evicted peasants will enjoy the fruits of economic development being transformed into barbers, peddlers, servants etc. and further increase the number of homeless, jobless and helpless people. Hunger will continue to haunt them. Female members of these families have to resort to prostitution in search of food, while some of these people have to face death due to starvation. And he shameless Chief Minister with a smiling face, continues to preach about the socio-cultural tradition of rural Bengal.

Everyone should admit that Mr. Budha Bhattacharjee has well been trained in ruling class culture. It is this ruling class culture that helps him term West Bengal an Oasis, when thousands of people have been suffering from joblessness, hunger, and starvation. It is this very culture that prompts him deploy his armed party cadres along with state armed forces to suppress the voice of deprived people. But Mr. Chief Minister should know that the people of Bengal also have a socio-political-cultural tradition – a tradition of revolting against deprivation and injustice. This people’s tradition has been rearing its heads more and more assertively inspiring the wretched of West Bengal.

 

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