In the midst of hectic campaigning and juggling meetings, press conferences and interviews, Biman Bose, Chairman of the West Bengal Left Front committee, spoke to ANANYA DUTTA on some of the factors that will influence the coming election. Pointing out that the Left is confronted by an Opposition indulging in blatant lies, Mr. Bose who is also State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said that peace was of paramount importance to the voters.
Is this the toughest election the Left is facing in West Bengal?
In a sense, this time we are facing a different kind of Opposition. The blatant lies and stories concocted against the Left and against the Communists, in particular, are amazing. This campaign by the Opposition, as well as a section of the media, both print and electronic, is confusing the electorate.
But the Left Front is carrying the message to the electorate by canvassing door-to-door. We are answering the questions posed by the electorate and engaging in discussions with the people.
Is the anti-incumbency factor much greater this time?
The incumbency factor has been there in all elections, and more so, after seven terms of the Left Front government, this element is no doubt a strong presence.
But, we are not complacent about the achievements of the Left Front for the overall development of the State in agriculture, industry, education, health and other welfare. We are committed to serving the interests of the people.
What are the most important issues that will influence the minds of the voters in this election?
This time the main issue is to provide peace, democracy and progress.
We are highlighting the way the main Opposition party, the Trinamool Congress, is trying to create anarchy and terror in certain areas, particularly in the Jangal Mahal region in the Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Purulia districts.
The Maoist presence that you mention is limited to certain parts of the State. How significant is the problem of Maoist violence to voters across West Bengal?
Actually, the terror tactics of the combined Opposition has had its impact in many parts of the State. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) is trying to divide the State; the Kamtapur People's Party (KPP) in the Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and the Terai region is trying to divide the people on caste lines.
The erosion in the support of the Muslims has been cited as one of the main reasons for the electoral reverses suffered by the Left Front recently. Yet, the Left claims it is confident of winning back their support.
The main reason for being confident of winning the support of the minorities, particularly the Muslims, is that the wild campaign unleashed by the Trinamool Congress has been rebuffed by the Left forces. The Trinamool Congress said that all Muslims' land will be taken over by the government. We have asked the people, show us a single person whose land was taken by the government because he was a Muslim; show us a single instance where the land of mosques or burial grounds was acquired by the government. Moreover, after the report of the Ranganath Mishra Commission, the Left Front government has adopted a policy to treat economically, educationally and socially backward Muslims as OBCs, covering 86 per cent of the Muslim population, and has provided 10 per cent reservation. This has already come into effect in some districts, particularly in Bankura.
But the benefit of reservation for Muslims is yet to materialise.
In education, Muslim boys and girls have already received the benefit of enrolling them in schools and colleges, even without reservation. When reservation becomes effective, a large number of them will benefit. In the secondary examinations held this year, about 2,12,000 students of the over 10 lakh students are Muslim.
Another crucial factor is the youth vote. With the recent successes of the Students Federation of India in college elections, does the Left Front have the edge?
Whatever we have said about creating job opportunities and expansion of education is directed towards the students and the youth. It is a fact that a large number of youth are out of jobs, but it is also a fact that efforts to provide jobs to the jobless have been undertaken by the government.
There has been considerable uncertainty in the alliance between the Trinamool Congress and the Congress, and now several rebel candidates are also contesting. Will this improve the prospects of the Left?
An alliance formed just for an election cannot yield good results. Take the past record of the Trinamool Congress — allying with the Congress, then deserting the Congress for the BJP, only to desert the BJP later as well.
Now it is with the Congress again. This sort of unholy alliance cannot make an imprint in the mind of the electorate. People will not take this force seriously.
The Left Front is not an electoral front; it was formed through a long protracted struggle of the common people. The Left Front is not a party; but it is not merely a Front, it is more than that.
