HVK Archives: Electoral pressures force Basu to take BJP line on illegal immigrants issue
Electoral pressures force Basu to take BJP line on illegal immigrants issue - Rediff on the Net
Arup Chanda
()
Feb 6, 1999
Title: Electoral pressures force Basu to take BJP line on illegal
immigrants issue
Author: Arup Chanda
Publication: Rediff on the Net
Date: Feb 6, 1999
Why did West Bengal's Marxist Chief Minister Jyoti Basu so aggressively
highlight the issue of infiltration during his meeting with Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed ?
To prevent erosion of the CPI-M's bases in the border districts in West
Bengal and regain lost votebanks.
Statistics reveal that the CPI-M fared poorly in the panchayat election
in May last year. The party lost 7.18 per cent votes in the rural areas
compared to the 1993 election.
This has severely affected the party's votebanks in districts which have
borders with Bangladesh. In its publications, the CPI-M admit that the
Bharatiya Janata Party, which began the anti-infiltration campaign in
West Bengal, gained considerably in the border districts. The Congress
also fared well.
This made the mandarins at the Alimuddin Street state CPI-M headquarters
sit up.
Till the other day the CPI-M brushed off the BJP's allegations about
infiltration and described it as an "international phenomenon".
The BJP had alleged that the Marxists were helping infiltrators obtain
ration cards and enlisting their names in voters lists. "The
infiltrators are the CPI-M's votebank", BJP leaders had said.
According to CPI-M sources, "Committed voters of the party in almost all
the border districts have turned away from us because of problems
created by illegal settlers. It is the BJP which gained as they had been
highlighting this problem."
The pragmatic Basu could envisage the impact this trend may have on the
next assembly election due in 2001.
Along with Home Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Basu has asked the
state CPI- M secretariat to adopt a hardline and counter the BJP's
campaign. They have pointed out that uncontrolled infiltration has
become a burden on West Bengal's economy. Basu had said, 'We are aware
that people cross over daily from Bangladesh to Malda and Murshidabad
districts to earn wages and go back' after his meeting with Sheikh
Hasina.
This created problems in the border districts for local agricultural
labourers who always voted for the Marxists. Bangladeshi labourers work
for cheaper wages and the locals cannot compete with them. So they do
not find work.
The BJP highlighted this and snatch away these voters from the CPI-M.
After Basu took up the issue of infiltration, the state BJP says it
feels vindicated. Says West Bengal BJP president Tapan Sikdar, MP, "The
Communists always wake up late. They have finally acknowledged that they
incurred the wrath of voters in the border districts for siding with the
infiltrators."
At the party level the state CPI-M is drawing up a plan to effectively
deal with the issue of infiltration in the border districts and regain
its lost base. The West Bengal government has asked the Centre for more
funds to fence the border.
The state has a 2,200 km border with Bangladesh, of which 600 km is
riverine and only 500 km has been fenced. By next year, 900 km of the
porous border will be fenced.
According to Bhattacharya, with the completion of the project, 1,400 km
of the 1,600 km border with Bangladesh would be fenced. The minister
pointed out that it has become impossible to effectively man the entire
border with only 20 Border Security Force battalions instead of the
required 34 battalions.
Though CPI-M leaders like Basu and Bhattacharya realise the implications
of this problem, party bigwigs are not ready to admit it as they feel it
would amount to recognising the BJP's campaign.
CPI-M and CPI leaders dismiss Sikdar's claim and are not willing to
admit electoral losses because of their stand on the infiltration issue.
Among the Left Front partners, the Forward Bloc does not share this
view. The party has bases in the border districts, particularly where
there are minority pockets.
It was the Forward Bloc legislator, Rabin Ghosh, who snatched away
alleged infiltrators from the Maharashtra police when the Kurla Express
arrived at Uluberia station in West Bengal. They were being taken by the
Maharashtra police to the border for deportation.
Though a case was registered against Ghosh, his party came to his aid
and no action has been taken.
The Forward Bloc may be unwilling to toe the CPI-M line on infiltration
as it fears it will lose minority votes.
But it is the CPI-M which calls the shots within the Left Front and one
would not be surprised if the West Bengal police conducts a campaign to
deport illegal settlers to Bangladesh shortly.
Basu says more than 20,000 infiltrators have been deported to Bangladesh
in the past. This time, the figure is likely to be higher.
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