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Nandigram-singur: Grass and [ti]-gers
(i)
Today is 19/06/07.
According to the news of 17/06/07, Binoy Kongar has said, ‘If you want to make a tiger take grass you must imprison the tiger.’ Binoy has certainly many such achievements to his credit. Certainly he has trapped many a tiger, caged them, forced them to chew grass. Tiger! Grass! Binoy! I guess Binoy has read the poems of Shakti; consequently, he is both with ‘Dharma’, and with the ‘ziraffe’ (running with the deer and hunting with the hound at the same time).
But Binoy Kingar! Nandigram is different. You have called it ‘tiger’; that means you have recognized it.
But Binoy Kongar! Nandigram won’t fall to Lakshman Seth’s schemes. If by ‘grass’ you mean the party flag, they won’t take it. Haven’t you fed them with such profuse diet of bombs and bullets! Haven’t you mobilized so many hired mercenaries from various districts? Have you noticed any impact of these on Nandigram? Nandigram is not even that tiger whose picture we saw in yesterday’s paper.(The reference is to a tiger killed by local people near Dooars.) This is a tiger of a different species. Nandigram is that tiger, seeing whose contour you have cringed in fear. Isn’t this a unique time? Try to respect this time; because what have you been witnessing everywhere from Nandigram to Singur, Asansol to Haripur, Paskura?
You have been witnessing faces, -- faces of men and women registering protest. Do those faces belong to supporters of any opposition party? No Binoybabu, No. They were loyal supporters of your party, they used to vote for you. You are running the government; they had sought for justice from that government. Why did they? Why do they?
Because, you have failed to give people the minimum human rights. Failed, failed, failed. Admit that failure. Try to spot if there still remains the least bit of ground from which you can start anew.
But no, you won’t do it. Because, you assume that constructing roads, arranging for drinking water supply, extending electricity supply lines, these are not jobs worth the trouble. Why people have been turning rebellious from end to end of West Bengal?
Firstly, you have managed the votes without rendering any service. Furthermore, Buddhadev continued to issue commands in arrogant style, while you unleashed the flow of abusive slang, and Biman , purchasing the ‘Bolero’ car shouted fantastic statements.
Now I shall turn to the name ‘Nandigram’. Before that let me clinch my argument to you today.
It is this:
Who are being sent to destroy Nandigram at your direct or indirect initiative? To ruin the movement there by means of the lure of money and rice/ Don’t do this , I say. This movement has been built up by Nandigram; because Nandigram has learnt from Singur.
These frequent visits—these are precisely planned to subvert the movement. We do not ride ‘Bolero’ cars, do not live in air-conditioned palaces. But we can see through your activities into the design. And you do all this with the taxpayers’ money.
Nandigram! I have so many things to tell you. You please listen. The first thing is that many will try to subvert this movement of yours so that it fizzles out. You have to apply your reason. Please don’t make any mistake….
This is a great turn of history. We have seen your face. The doctors have realized where lies their mission. One must pay proper respect to such a time. [continued]
[Author : Mahasweta Devi; Translation—Rama Kundu from the original published in Dainik Statesman, Kolkata, 20 June 2007]
(ii)
[Author : Mahasweta Devi; Translation—Rama Kundu from the original published in Dainik Statesman, Kolkata, 21 June 2007]
[continuation…]
Today is 20/6/07
Today I would write on certain published news item.
Let us start with the news about Singur.
Ajkal flaunts under banner headline: ‘Job for those who have lost land, a bunch of state government projects’; the context is the rehabilitation package of Singur.
Dainik Statesman writes, ‘The Best Package So far: Nirupam’.
I think I have to speak out—
Since the subject of the discussion is Singur, the state government should have informed at the very start, that Buddha has gifted Singur not to Tata alone, but also to the American Rareson Company.
The gift has been made by complete violation— done intentionally or ‘innocently’-- of the law regarding land acquisition. The price of the land, the compensation package should be borne by Tata or jointly by Tata-Rareson. So demands the law which is still valid.
The government should bear this only when the land is acquired in public interest. Otherwise, Tata+Rareson should have paid first and only then allowed to take possession of the commodity.
In the meantime, the state government, keeping in view the interest of Tata-Salim-Zindal-Ambani-et al, has passed the ‘W.B. INDUSTRIAL AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT ACT’. How could such an important act be okayed by the assembly, or some other body?
I do not belong to any political party. Let the name ‘Singur’ get justice; I have nothing more to ask beyond this.
It is because I want justice that I carry on my fight with the help of my pen; just this much. But still several questions remain:
For instance, the land acquisition act of 1894 continued to be valid even in independent India after 1947. The state government had passed ‘land reforms’ act which was to be congenial to small farmers, share-croppers(though the agricultural labour was ignored and is still ignored). Here too the 1894 act was met with no criticism or opposition.
Now what is exactly the law on the basis of which ‘land’ or ‘soil’ is being appropriated anywhere and everywhere, -- farmland is being snatched off for industry—from Singur to Haldia, North and South 24-Parganas, Purushottampur, West Medinipur? Was there any resolution passed in the state assembly to this effect? Have the members—of the ruling party or opposition—considered the matter in threadbare discussion? We demand full authentic information about this
According to District Statistics Handbook-- 2004, the total population of Singur is 2, 65, 099. Nirupam says they will arrange for the training of 1228 in ‘various vocational work’. Then what will the rest 2, 63, 871 do? Nirupam claims 211 rural women will be given training. The total number of rural women in the area is 1, 13, 834. What will they do?
What about the projects regarding road construction, installation of water-pipe lines, etc, etc….?
O Biddha, Nirupam and others, listen attentively! I am raising these points—I , who have covered of the districts rural Bengal from end to end for the last few decades, sometimes on foot too in cases of exigency. I know billions and billions of ruppes have been sanctioned, are being sanctioned, but you….!
1. You do not construct or maintain roads, neither in the towns nor in villages.
2. Water? Bikashranjan [the present Mayor of Kolkata] does not know Kolkata sinks even at the frog’s urination. Even in the capital water scarcity haunts the wards. What is condition of rural Bengal? What step have you taken for supplying drinking water?
3. And health service? In this state there is no force to protest. Unless and until a movement gathers strength , a movement of the Nandigram brand, you will continue this system of siphoning hospital fund, of neglecting the patients like anything.
4. What must be the degree of your arrogance that you still show your faces on the TV screen? Buddhadev roars out again from Purulia, on screen!
My last addressee are the readers. I am saying this with Nandigram on my mind. I saw in newspaper, Nirupam says, ‘There will be industry in Haldia. Why so much opposition to this? The soil of Haldia is salty. No cultivation can be done there. Must there be protest to setting up industry even on such a location?’ Really Nirupam! How ungrateful this state is indeed!
So, you’ll set up chemical hub there, -- the kind of hub that no free country of the world has been allowing to come up; and this ungrateful people have the audacity to protest even to this noble plan! Yes, it is precisely this kind of hub that the state government is going to install. For constructing nuclear electricity project , which the world has banned, you went to Haripur. The women and men there did not allow you to do it.
Haldia! Lakshaman Seth! For running chemical hub industry ((like nuclear power project) huge quantity of water will be required.
The coastal areas on the Bay of Bengal which lie on the fringe will be terribly endangered; because the nuclear refuse remains active for the coming thousand years, and the refuse of the chemical hub will be similarly dangerous.
It is dangerous for the earth. It is dangerous for this planet. Man has been so indiscriminately destroying the water, forests, animal life of this planet, destroying the glaciers of various countries, including India, that the life-span of this planet called earth has been quickly ticking out.
To conclude…
Let me inform Singur, the readers, Nandigram, that Haryana , a state under the occupation of SEZ, is now forced to import wheat.
West Bengal, the SEZ state of Buddhadev & Co., will be forced to import rice—if not today, in near future it is bound to happen.
[Author : Mahasweta Devi; Translation—Rama Kundu from the original published in Dainik Statesman, Kolkata, 21 June 2007]
About the Author
Is this Science fact or fiction in your estimation : Page 8 of my morning newspaper?
Faster sea rise seen from Artic ice melt
report of the artic Monitioring and Assessment Program, the scientific arm of the 8 nation Arctic Counci sez t is updating the forecasts made by the UN's expert panel on climate change since the 2007 major assessment. NOw including the melting of Greenland's ice sheet and Arctic glaciers & ice caps - projection of global sea levels by 35 to 63 inches by 2100.
Need we be concerned - since none here in SC will be alive in 2100.... I think we should for humanity to continue - should mankind not evolve to develope gills & fins.
I think the critical challenges of the next hundred years will be limiting the human population, putting an end to religious lunacy, and establishing real political fairness and stability. If we fail to achieve those things, we will probably die of war, starvation, and pestilence. But if we succeed in those areas, I think problems such as a change in the climate will be easily managed.
So Sez Kez 117 - The Queen, Piers Morgan and keeping secrets