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Trinamul disappears from Midnapore

Rifat Jawaid in Keshpur, Garbeta (Midnapore)

The politically sensitive and strife-torn Midnapore district in West Bengal throws an entirely different picture today. Keshpur and Garbeta that witnessed gory battles between supporters of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist and Trinamul Congress till recently, seem to have undergone a miraculous metamorphosis.

The most surprising development is the disappearance of the Trinamul from the region, with no one willing to associate himself with the Union railway minister's party. Surprising, when one recalls how the Trinamul stunned the Marxists by establishing its supremacy in the latter's fiefdom, Panskura, a few months ago. Trinamul lightweight Bikram Sarkar had defeated the Left Front's heavyweight Gurudad Dasgupta by a comprehensive margin of over 40,000 votes.

However, that was three months ago. Trinamul supremo Mamata Banerjee's dreams to ride piggyback on her popularity crest in the Communist citadel apparently crashed with these developments. CPM cadres now enjoy dominance over a large swathe of Midnapore, including Keshpur and Garbeta, where the Trinamul registered phenomenal leads in the Panskura by-election.

Majuria,, Ghospur, Haji Chowk, Tabagrah, Surishakhola, Pitambar Chowk, Panchantola, Paniath, Adam Chowk and Soroi villages were virtually out of bounds for CPM sympathisers in May. Today, CPM men call the shots. The Trinamul had won in one gram panchayat in Keshpur and four panchayats in Garbeta during the 1998 election. Today, the party has no control over any.

While CPM men describe this as proof of peace returning to the volatile region, Trinamul leaders alleged that the rivals employed professional criminals from outside Bengal to occupy the villages. However, those who once swore by Mamata now say they have switched loyalties primarily to safeguard themselves and near and dear ones.

Says 55-year-old Shamsul Alam of Soroi, "We all want peace. Do you know what heavy losses we suffered during two-and-a-half years of bloody battles by the two parties? We couldn't eat a meal peacefully. Every time we sat down for meals, there was news of some attack. We had to leave our food and run for shelter. We are farmers. The dispute between the Trinamul and CPM has affected our livelihood. Earlier, we couldn't dare go to Keshpur, the only market near our village. Now I am coming from there. Though we have joined the CPM willingly, we will change loyalties if the Trinamul gains a majority in the area."

For 16-year-old Nasim Khan, the Trinamul always ''encouraged violence, making local residents scapegoats for its cheap political gains''. A student of Class VIII, Nasim says his parents had joined the Trinamul expecting changes in an underdeveloped Keshpur. "Ironically, Trinamul leaders, including Mamata, in the last two and a half years, encouraged violence, jeopardising our lives. We couldn't go to school because our parents thought that Soroi's recognition as a Trinamul stronghold would invite wrath for their children," he said.

Schools have opened with children not even hesitating to travel a few miles alone to ensure they are on time.

Majuria's story is none too different. A village, which once took pride in idolising Mamata, is disenchanted today. Villagers shouted, ''The Trinamul doesn't exist anymore here. We all have joined the CPM.''

Villagers said in unison that they were living peacefully. According to Jahangir Hussain, anti-socials enjoying the patronage of the Trinamul and Bharatiya Janata Party were flushed out of the area.

"We have decided to live in peace and harmony. We will no longer listen to inflammatory and provocative speeches of Mamata. We have lost far too many loved ones. Now no violence, please," Jahangir remarked.

Janhangir, showing the place where they had surrendered firearms, said they would soon be handed over to the police. "When you have arms, it is bound to fuel tension," Jahangir said.

Another reason cited by the villagers in justification of their deserting the Trinamul was 'rampant extortion' the party was resorting to to pile up arms. Locals accused Trinamul leaders of fining innocent people unreasonably.

According to Mumtaz Alam, general secretary of the Congress party's Keshpur unit, the leaders "sold off mosque property, Public Works Department trees and fined poor people. If one couldn't manage to arrange the demanded sum, Trinamul goons confiscated property papers and sold off cattle and other valuables."

Trinamul leaders, who have taken refuge in Midnapore town, ridiculed the CPM's claims. Mohammed Rafique, who masterminded Sarkar's victory in the Panskura by-election, said over 2000 Trinamul workers were rendered homeless by the CPM. The homeless, according to him, are at camps in Midnapore town and Debra.

"We could have used violence to recapture our territory, but Mamata said our party didn't believe in violence. People will give a befitting reply to the CPM's undemocratic style of functioning. Don't you think the happenings in Keshpur and Garbeta amount to butchery of democracy? The central government should immediately impose Article 356 in West Bengal," Rafique added.

On allegations that the CPM had resorted to violence to 'gain control' of the Trinamul villages, Midnapore's Superintendent of Police Gurav Dutta told rediff.com that the developments weren't surprising. "The CPM has always been a party with a reputation of being a sleeping lion. You can call your shots only when the party is sleeping. Once it realises its mistakes and gears up to get even with rivals, you can barely withstand the CPM's supremacy. The Panskura defeat seems to have awakened the party. Earlier, taking advantage of its rival's ignorance, the Trinamul workers ran amok in Keshpur, displacing thousands of CPM cadres. But they never lodged any complaint. Most of the time their leaders stayed put in Midnapore. But after Panksura, they have begun seeking our help. Even displaced families started returning since June this year with relatives. That was misconstrued by Trinamul leaders as though CPM men were hiring people from Bihar," Dutta remarked.

Dutta said peace had returned to Garbeta and life in Keshpur too was limping back to normal. He said he had withdrawn police pickets from Garbeta and was determined to convert Keshpur into an oasis of peace. Dutta said the Trinamul leaders weren't forthcoming in providing a list of displaced families.

NEXT: Did the land reforms movement back-fire
on the CPM in Midnapore?

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