The strange phenomenon of a Chief Minister offering Satyagraha against the errant ways of his own government is to come off as scheduled from Monday next, notwithstanding the ominous warnings of his Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Jyoti Basu. The Gandhian protest is against the continuing lawlessness and violence in West Bengal whose Home Minister is the Marxist leader, Mr. Basu. The provocation is certainly there for some kind of action against the wave of terror sweeping not only the countryside but factories, collieries and even educational institutions. Arson, inter-party killings, gheraos, forcible seizure of land and murder of jotedars have been allowed to become a regular feature of life under the Marxist-dominated regime. Even as Mr. Basu took objection to the Union Home Minister describing the situation in West Bengal as “serious” and blandly asserted that there was “nothing wrong” in the law and order situation, fresh reports of political goondaism and murder were being received. The common factor in most of these fatal clashes among groups of workers or other sections of the people is the Marxists or their supporters, using violence to capture labour unions or for sheer political vendetta.
