*The Truth of Singur*
* *
Brinda Karat
The campaign against the CPI(M) and Left Front Government on the Singur
issue is based on lies and slander. The group of NGOs, CSOs (Civil Society
Organisations for the uninitiated) and their prominent spokespersons like
Medha Patkar and Arundhati Roy have accused the CPI(M) of what they call
"double standards '-"they were with us and now they are with them" said Ms.
Roy as she addressed the media in a demonstration of twenty or so persons
she led to the CPI(M) central office in Delhi. Who is with whom is the
point. The CPI (M) is with the peasants, sharecroppers and workers of
Singur. Ms Roy is in the company of Ms. Mamta Bannerjee, George Fernandes
and Rajnath Singh and a 19 party alliance led by them (Krishi Jami Raksha
Committee-KJRC) and has supported their campaign of anti-communist calumny.
Meanwhile in Kolkata Ms. Patkar has displayed her level of political acumen
when she compared the Buddhadeb Government, which only recently received a
two-thirds majority from the people of Bengal, with the US occupation of
Iraq. But this is only one example of the gems of wisdom the people of West
Bengal have been treated to by Ms Patkar. So many wild allegations and
fabrications have been hurled at the CPI (M) and the Left that it becomes
necessary to put the record straight.
*Lie No 1:** The common theme for the charge of double standards is that
while the CPI (M) opposes "forcible " acquisition of land elsewhere, in
Singur, Bengal its Government has done just that where according to Patkar
"50-60 per cent of land is not sold and majority of landholders in thousands
are against the compulsory land acquisition and transfer of land and
livelihood to the corporate." *
*Fact:* The total land required for the car factory and ancillary automobile
part units, is 997 acres of which consent letters from landowners have been
received for 952 acres. The compensation amount is 131.49 crore rupees. Of
this, 76.64 crore rupees, has already been taken by the 9020 persons. The
remaining amount to approximately 3000 persons is also in the process of
disbursement. The large numbers of affected persons involved also points to
the nature of the fragmentation of the plots compared to other States where
there are no land ceilings and where an amount of 997 acres would have less
than one third of the number of persons involved in Singur. The process of
giving consent and taking the compensation has been going on since August.
There has not been a single complaint in this entire period that it was
anything but democratic and transparent. The office is situated within the
area and in full public view where landholders have been queuing up to
fulfill the legal requirements. It is only *after* the large majority of
affected people had given their consent that the fencing plan started from
December 1. Therefore to say that "50-60 per cent of the land is not sold"
or is being taken "forcibly" is a fabrication. Indeed it is the only
Government in the country which has had prolonged discussions with the
people involved, called political parties not once but several times to
discuss the details of the project, the nature of land being taken over and
the compensation package.
*Lie No.2:** "There is no compensation policy for the landless agricultural
workers, unrecorded sharecroppers and rural households who are indirectly
dependent for their lives and livelihood on land and agricultural
activities." *
*Fact:* This is another outright lie. The Government records show that there
are 237 recorded bargadars. In West Bengal under the leadership of the
CPI(M) there has been a struggle often bitter to ensure registration of
sharecroppers and it is the one State in the whole country, which can claim
a majority of sharecroppers across the State are registered. It is the Left
Front which has made this an important agenda and therefore there is a
proactive effort to ensure that all bargadars get compensation which is 25
per cent of that given to the landowners. About 170 non-registered bargadars
have put in claims for compensation which are under consideration. If there
are any others not yet identified they can certainly make their claims for
compensation. As far as agricultural workers are concerned it is obvious
that on such fragmented pieces of land tilled by peasants themselves the
number of mandays for agricultural workers is extremely limited. West Bengal
has a higher percentage of family labour on self-owned farms than other
States. That is why the vast majority of workers in the area earn their
income through non-agricultural work. Government records for the five areas
where land is being taken put the number of workers involved in
non-agricultural work at around 7700 including 1000 women. Another 700 are
involved in some type of household industry. Not surprisingly the numbers
of agricultural workers at around 1230 are much less and most of them also
have to do other work to ensure a minimum income. The Government itself has
ensured alternative work for them. Already in that area over 7500 mandays
have been generated in the last few weeks. The Left front Government is the
only one in the whole country that has initiated different types of training
programmes for landless workers and land losers, 1800 of whom have already
registered in different programmes. The effort is to ensure alternative work
and livelihood. Unlike other Governments the Left front Government is and
will continue to be involved. Since the rest of the land in the area as well
as agricultural activities continues those who are "indirectly dependent…
etc" presumably will not be affected.
*Lie No. 3:** Singur land is prime agricultural land. While the CPI (M)
opposes this in other States in W. Bengal they are doing the same thing.*
*Fact:* According to Government records approximately 90 per cent of the
land is single crop therefore to say it is prime agricultural land is not
true. As reiterated by the Industries Minister 175.5 acres of fertile land
in the command area of the deep tube wells has been excluded and less
fertile land included. Land has been changing hands faster in Singur than in
any other part of W. Bengal. In the last year or so there have been 572
private land transactions of approximately 300 acres of land, at one third
the rate given as compensation in the Singur project. This is the opposite
of what is happening in other States where land is being acquired from the
peasantry at less than the market price. According to census figures the
share of fallow land, wasteland, pastures and so on is only 1 per cent in
W.Bengal compared to the national average of 17.6 per cent. Clearly for
taking forward agricultural growth, expanding employment opportunities in
agriculture as well as ensuring industrialisation, a proper land use policy
is essential. This is what is being prepared by the Government.
*Lie No. 4**: "There was unheard of and unprecedented police brutality on
December 1- women are being sexually abused, their clothes torn off and
children drowned in the local water bodies.. Police had fired, several
people are injured.. CPI (M) cadre are wearing police uniforms and
terrorizing the people.."*
*Fact:* This constitutes a cluster of fabrications so outrageous and so far
removed from the truth as if just by repeating them in internet mails each
with a new embellishment it will be accepted as truth. Yet so weak is the
case that even the NGO fact finding team report cannot name a single child
thrown in a water body and drowned. Not one of the six women interviewed and
named have said that she was sexually abused. If the beating and repression
was brutal enough to be compared with Iraq surely there would have been
scores of people with fractured limbs, broken heads who would have no doubt
been paraded before the media as proof. But there are no such cases. The
fact is that the local Trinamool Congress MLA organized a group of about 250
people including members of the Krishi Jami Raksha Samity to prevent the
fencing work. Bombs were thrown at the police. The police chased the crowd
into the village, lathi charged and tear gassed them. The crowd, which broke
up into groups attacked houses of those who had given their consent. 20
houses were broken into and damaged. The house of a local CPI (M) leader was
burnt. 48 persons were arrested of whom eight were immediately released. Of
the others 16 are local villagers. When 12,000 directly affected people have
given their consent and two-thirds have already collected the compensation,
clearly it is not they who are involved in the so-called protests. This
shows that it is politically motivated and has little to do with the
interests of those affected. The land has to be fenced off and the
Government will be shirking its responsibility by not doing so. Undoubtedly
it is unfortunate, as the Chief Minister has said that the police had to use
force against the demonstrators, but it is doubtful that a force attacked
with bombs will respond differently anywhere.
*The question arises, Why Sec. 144? Why prevent people from visiting the
area? Why the police force?* The provisions apply to all parties including
the CPI (M). But the Patkars and company have double standards. When the CPI
(M) and its Kisan Sabha organized a demonstration in the villages earlier in
November before Sec. 144 was imposed it was described by the KJRC as
"intimidation." When kisans, sharecroppers and workers who have given their
land to the Government demonstrate it is intimidation. But when bombs are
thrown at policemen and women it is the democratic right to protest! The
West Bengal Assembly was opened for two days to the general public and one
lakh people went inside to see the damage and vandalism of the State
Assembly by TMC MLAs. But there has not been a word against this by any of
those accusing the CPI (M) of intimidation. W.Bengal has seen the havoc and
violence wrought by a politically frustrated opposition. Singur is their
target. Those being mobilized are not the peasants or workers affected by
the project but others led by the TMC. Certainly it will lead to counter
protests causing a law and order problem. Thus the use of Sec. 144. The
sooner it is lifted the better but that is an assessment the Government will
have to make.
The Left is clearly conscious of the need to defend, consolidate and advance
the agrarian gains of the people of West Bengal. Nevertheless, the leaders
of what are nowadays called "social movements" would do well to recognize
that progressive, people-centred social and economic policy cannot proceed
if the very process of industrialization is seen as sinister and alien.
--
Regards
Vikram Vincent
+919448810822
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/bangalore_alive/
http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=19591248
