Land Grab, Bloodshed, Rape, Murder, Police Brutality, Flag March, Court’s Indulgence, High-Profile Visit, Demonstration, Debate in Legislature, Suicide, Editorial… …the list is endless. All these have happened in the recent past at NANDIGRAM (pronounced as nondigram by locals).
Since then, the countryside area, 70 km south-west of City of Joy ‘Kolkata’, is no more a Bengali-speaking village. Nandigram is now My Village, Your Village, and Everyone’s Village.
It is also not a place where a special economic zone or SEZ planned by the state government led by India’s incorrigible Left Front is facing violent resistance. It has in fact become a political chessboard that will be discussed in the eastern state as well as whole of India for years to come.
Each one and everyone is approaching this issue with a very definite motive as the agitation at Nandigram is turning uglier. Undoubtedly, the until unheard rural area is being converted into a political laboratory for all practical purposes.
Critics say this is destined to become the biggest land grab in post-colonial India, given the lack of transparency and rampant corruption in government. Others feel that with upcoming SEZs, India will be a ‘superpower’ by 2020. Is Nandigram then a ‘superlaboratory’ !!!
Neeraj Bhushan 
[…] – this time near the ‘City of Joy’ Kolkata – became the next black spot in 2007. At Nandigram, several innocent people were mercilessly killed by government-sponsored goons for no reasons – a […]
LikeLike
The least I can do is to hate CPI(M) people for what they did at Nandigram.
LikeLike
They have paid a price.
LikeLike
What the Left Front government did here is criminal, unpardonable and insane,” a Nandigram resident told me on condition of anonymity when I visited the West Bengal town in early December. “Yet we can’t speak our minds,” added the middle-aged man, wiping away tears. “Lest we should be killed.”
Another man, in his early 30s, held his hand in a touching show of solidarity and refrained, “Both of us have no clue where our families are, whether they are dead or alive. Life has come to a standstill — we are shattered. Please write about our woes to the nation. We want the people of the entire country by our side.”
While theatre personality and activist Salil Sarkar asks, “How long will the people of this state bear with the lumpen culture propagated by the Left Front government?” Nandigram residents know that in spite of the dastardly acts perpetrated by the Left Front, it will win a landslide victory in the next election.
“For, no election in the Left Front regime has been and can be fair,” said a resident of Satangabari. Party cadres approach villagers with a ballot in one hand and a white dhoti in the other and say: Choose — the underlying message being ‘unless you vote for the CPI-M, widowhood is assured for the female members of your family’.”
LikeLike
O My God! So, it is good that CPM offices wear deserted looks all over, today.
LikeLike
Nandigram might be quiet for now but continues to make headlines nonetheless.
Graves are being dug up at Khejuri village in West Bengal, next to a main road about 8 kilometres from the disturbed areas of Nandigram.
Exhumed at the CRPF’s behest, in the presence of the area judicial magistrate, all five graves contained remains of half-burnt bones, logs and ashes.
The Bhumi Ucched Protirodh Committee, the group that had been opposing land acquisition in Nandigram says the bodies belong to its activists, who were killed by CPM supporters during a rally on the 10th of November and the CPM then hurriedly tried to dispose the bodies before the CRPF arrived.
On the other hand, the CPM claims that they are its own members, who had died in an accidental blast on the 27th of October while manufacturing a bomb.
”They did not get skeletons, so why the question of graves? It is a completely false allegation. It is already recorded in the local police station that five persons were killed and there post mortem report was there and they were burnt there. They were all CPI-M supporters; they were in the relief camps. This type of slanderous campaign against us is going on for the last 11 months. What can we do?” said Shyamal Chakraborty, Leader, CPI-M.
Forty-eight people are reportedly missing since violence began in Nandigram in January. Wether these bodies belong to any of them will perhaps be known when the remains are analyzed at the Forensic Science Laboratory in Hyderabad. For now they have been sent to the Khejuri police station.
But its clear that Nandigram will continue to haunt West Bengal for some time. Even though the violence is over, it seems its real enormity is yet to sink in.
LikeLike
Haunting… still !
LikeLike
leftist are having two faces, one for eating and other for beating.
they allows multinationals in west bengal for the name of development and they ban them in keral. they are joining hands with foreign companies in keral and call them thief in west bengal. the recent incidents of nandigram is became a powerfield for all the netas and it is very unfortunate that senior leaders of west bengal are supporting open battle. they are actually enemy of democracy, we should kick them out from our politics
LikeLike
Left is slowly being left out by the people, it appears.
LikeLike
I am not staying in Nandigram and have never visited Nandigram. But I have stayed in West Bengal for more than 20 years. So I am well aware of what happens in west bengal at grass root level i.e. at micro level and its result at macro level. If we look back some 20-30 years back of west bengal, we can see lot of industries like coal, steel, paper, jute, tea, cement etc. in west bengal and in fact it used to be one of the most industrialised state of India. Now if we look now i.e the period when CPM party came in power in west bengal some 25 years back, then what is the scenario now?? Its a worst state as far as industry is concerned will all industries closed down be it paper, jute etc. The state of industries in west bengal is very poor… What is the achievement of CPM party in west benagal?? In last 25 years, they have opened several lakh party offices of CPM party. In fact now after 25 years they have party offices in every Gali, every mohalla. Its most organised and highly calculative party for vote bank. They have now data upto family level i.e. in a particular locality, father votes whom and son votes whom..They have reached at family level. They have destroyed the economy of the state and have opened more and more party offices across whole state with cadres ensuring vote bank to party. Jobless youth have no option other than becoming party cadre where they get some money as a monthly salary. First they have destroyed industries and then they have sold all the machinery and parts of the factories. Now they are turning towards farm lands which probably is only asset left. They will grab lands from people at very cheap price and will sell it at higher price for some other purposes. i.e. they want to make money out of it because they have no source of earning money left. We say that state of law is bad in bihar, UP, jharkhand etc. but what is the state in west bengal?? No social crime gets registered in Thana(Police Station) and all cases are reported at local party offices and not in police station. If someone goes at police station, then before lodging an FIR a party cadre will come and will take the matter… As a result of this, police personnels have lowest self esteem in west bengal and have become of no use because cases will be solved at party levels and not through police stations and judiciaries. As a result of this, the state governments shows a low crime rate in the state and outside world thinks that state is in very good shape which is not the actual fact. Now then the question arises as to how they are winning elections year after year even when they have destroyed the state?? The reason is their strong network of several lakh party offices and cadres across state who ensure that party wins at any cost. They have led crores of Bangladeshis to enter into state who are its vote bank because these bangladeshis who are refugees get a very good treatment like they get ration card in a week without any hassles and then voter card to vote for CPM party. If I apply for ration card and voter ID card, I will get it after lots of hassles and after long time but Bangladeshis get it very easliy. These bangladeshis are major vote bank of CPM and their number is in several crores. This party is very dangerous for India and they are destrying this country.
LikeLike
An eye opener. Thanks.
LikeLike