The Sad Saga of Nandigram

Lest we forget – Ep 1 (THE SAD SAGA OF NANDIGRAM)

Today, Nandigram has become the cynosure of the whole of India because of the Battle Royale between The Manoniya (The Revered) and once her right-hand man, Shubhendu Adhikary. However, the sad saga of Nandigram started long back – during the left front rule, when The Mononiya and her goons were the chief opposition.

A lot has been written on the atrocities of the Left Government and how it single-handedly halted the industrialisation and economic growth of West Bengal. However, to give the devil its dues, towards 2006-07, the then CM of Bengal, Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharya, understood the importance and the need for Industrialisation. He set aside his anti-capitalistic views and even managed to convince his politbureau members to invite Industrialists to set up factories in West Bengal.

Buddha Babu managed to convince the Tatas to set up the manufacturing hub of the Nano car in Singur. By then, the TMC, led by The Manoniya, had staged a huge Andolan (movement) to stop an ‘outsider’ – Mr Ratan Tata - from going through the Project – on grounds that the farmers who had sacrificed their lands were not getting their dues.

In December 2006, the Left had decided to build another SEZ near Nandigram, which was the Left’s stronghold – or so they thought! Buddha Babu, then, promised the state's largest SEZ, with an investment of Rs 48,000 crore, to be set up with an Indonesian real-estate giant, the Salim Group, in Nandigram.

The progressive Manoniya surfaced again! By this time, she understood that she could ‘use’ these movements to oust the Leftists and clinch power – which she eventually did in 2011. Little did the gullible farmers understand that they were being heaped with false promises. She became the new Messiah.

So, two wrongs were committed in Nandigram.

One, the Salim SEZ never saw the light of the day, thereby denying the locals jobs and prosperity. Till March 2007, the Manoniya and her chelas (followers) did not allow a single ‘outsider’ to enter Nandigram.

Two – battered by the Andolan in Singur, on March 14, Buddha Babu sent a force of 2,500 policemen to "recapture" Nandigram. Unofficially, they were also accompanied by suspected 400 CPI(M) cadres.

In a bid to recapture Nandigram, the police opened fire. Officially, 14 farmers died in the firing, but over 100 were declared missing. A similar attempt in November by the cadres finally claimed back Nandigram. Buddha Babu showed no remorse and said, "They (farmers and Trinamool activists) have been paid back in their own coin."

Since then, it had become a payback time for Buddha Babu and his comrades. While the Left lost its credibility in the state, the Manoniya went from strength to strength and captured not just Nandigram but the entire Bengal.

And what happened to Nandigram? The SEZ never saw the light of the day. The farmers remained deprived. The locals lost their dreams of a prosperous future. Buddha Babu and his Government were exonerated by the CBI.

So, what is the moral of the story? Would the BJP, even if it assumes power, succeed in the much-promised Industrialisation in Bengal? My simple logic and history tell me – NO. Look what happened when the Farm Amendment Bill was passed. Organised agitations, funded by the opposition, continue to date. At the risk of sounding extremely cynical, I know that in Bengal, any attempt to build factories would invite huge Organised Andolans, Road Blocks and Gunda Gardi. Only this time, unlike Buddha Babu, the Government shall have to show restraint - as it did even while the Farmers were attacking the Red Fort on 26 Jan 2021.

Source: Various news reports from the web.

© Tathagata Anuradha Mukhopadhyay