So what do you call a party winning 25 of 25 seats – a clean sweep.
Let us try this again, So what do you call a party that goes from 25 of 25 to 19 of 26 ?
According to the Dounle think of the left of center mainstream media would be a called “sweep” too.
Well folks the secret is out from the ballot boxes in Haldia.Ruling Left Front in West Bengal survived a high-pitched campaign by opposition’s grand alliance to retain power today in Haldia Municipality, close to the trouble spot of Nandigram, the epicentre of campaign against land acquisition for industries in the state. The Front, which had made a clean sweep in the previous elections to the municipality in East Midnapore district five years back, won 19 of the 26 seats, but conceded seven to the Trinammol Congress-led ‘Mahajot’ (Grand Alliance) that included Congress and the BJP. The CPI(M) bagged 17 seats, while another Front partner CPI claimed two seats. For the Mahajot, Trinamool Congress candidates won half a dozen wards, while the PDCI clinched one. The PDCI was formed by Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind leader Siddiqullah Choudhury.
The left front was quick to claim this as a referendum on its policy of industrialization.
“I am happy that we could win despite a virulent campaign by the opposition who resorted to slander and intimidation. This is a mandate for industrialisation,” said Haldia municipality chairperson Tamalika Panda Seth.
“This time even Jamiat leader Siddiquallah Choudhury resorted to a communal campaign. However, the people voted for industrialisation,” said Laxman Seth, MP and chairman of Haldia Development Authority (HAD).
But here is the problem with the outcome in Haldia.
The Statesman reports that
the people of Nandigram fear a backlash by armed CPI-M goons once results of the Haldia municipal polls are declared. It says that the apprehension of the residents of Nandigram is not without a cause. For the past 48 hours, armed CPI-M cadres have been issuing open threats through the public address system at Sher Khan Chowk off Khejuri. The cadres have warned of severe consequences “worse than 14 March” to wrest back their stronghold.
The Statesman also reports that
At least one incident was enough to prove that Sunday’s election to the Haldia municipality was not free and fair. Both the police and the presiding officers acted openly for the CPIM, enabling the cadres to rig the poll by jamming the booths and other means, perhaps which has no parallel in the sub-continent.
The chairperson of the outgoing civic board, Mrs Talalika Ponda Seth, seeking re-election from ward number 24, entered different booths without any hindrance either from the law enforcers or the presiding officers.
But her lone Trinamul contender, Mrs Champa Rani Majhi, was dragged out from booth number 87-A by the police, though as per as the election commission’s regulations no candidates can be barred from going inside the booths.
It is amazing that only The Statesman is the lone jarring voice across the entire mainstream media in calling out the communists in Bengal. Contrast this with how the mainstream media maintains a hawk like glare on Narendra Modi ruled Gujarat so that even the most minor of infractions is magnified and reported nationally to give the impression that the Constitution has broken down in Gujarat and the minorities live in fear.
Offstumped Bottomline: The mahajot has definitely made a beginning in Haldia albeit a small one. What else can one expect in a State where the ruling Communist Party operates like a organized mafia and the distinction between the State and the Party had long blurred. It is a shame that the mainstream media has not exposed the CPI-M for what it really is. This once again reminds us of the need for a Right of Center Media Movement to bring back the much needed balance to news media reporting and opinion making.
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Being someone from left bastion of Burdwan who also spent 5 years in Haldia, I can tell you, CPIM is in great trouble in West Bengal. My village in Burdwan, which is a 100% CPIM area, NOT through force, intimidation, but because of pioneering work done by legedary leaders like Harekrishna Koner, Benoy Choudhury is sitting on a volcano.
Just last month, a poor area of the village, shutdown the Electricty connection for 2 full days for the village because their electricity was cut during some Cricket match.
They dared CPIM leaders who came to negotiate: We will do a Nandigram, if you force something on us.
Let CPIM force fertile landgrabbing in West Bengal, it will understand the music it will face. From its own traditional votebank.
A Chemical Hub requires 250 Square KM of area. Where is this much of land in West Bengal?
I have lived in Haldia for 5 years. If you travel from Mecheda by Road, you will see big land was already acquired already (I am talking about 1993-98), but there was no idustry.
East Medinipur ( where Haldia/Nandigram situated is a fertile, probably most fertile area in India. Not only Rice, lots of cash crops like Vegetable, Paan are produced there.
After being shown the door at nandigram, Buddha thinks, he can set up 250 SQ KM Chemical Hub in Haldia. Its even more impossible, because these are populated areas where Lakhs of people live.
People of medinipur are also very subborn. We jokingly call them, the land which produced Vidyasagar are hard nut to crack. And CPIM will face opposition, violence if they even remotely try to acquire this much land there.
CPIM run Haldia Municipality acquired many 1000s of acres of land in Haldia in last 15-20 years.
And later sold them to promoters at much higher price.
Its an open secret and if you read bengali newspapers regularly, u will hear that frequently.
The actual owners got a fraction of the price. CPIM leaders made 10s of Crores of Rupees from those deal.
The only solution from this violence, massacre is for the private parties to buy land DIRECTLY from land owner.
But CPIM is NOT allowing that, because it will miss the big buck as a middle man.
This is crux of the problem. Even N Ram also suggested this approach during Nandigram flareup.
But Buddha/Biman knows, unless CPIM makes big bucks from these deals, they will not be able to sustain the big party infrastructure which is terrorizng people to keep CPIM in power.
The Statesman is a pro Trinamool-Naxalite newspaper and is currently the unofficial spokesperson for Mamata Bannerjee’s Trinamool Party and the ultra left Naxals. That explains its reporting of Haldia. It is not a right of centre newspaper but very much an anti establishment newspaper. So it opposes the BJP in Gujarat and Orissa, the CP(I)M in West Bengal and the Congress anywhere it is present.
“Buddhi Nei” (which in Bengali means “no brain”) is a typical facist CPIM cadre.
LIke Islamists, Facists, CPIM cadres/leaders can do no wrong. Its all Press which is after CPIM.
Wake up Buddhi Nei! We also live in West Bengal, from Rural South Bengal, and have seen CPIM from very close quarters.
We also have Party Members in our close family, relatives/ friends.
We know what CPIM does.
Tell us just one things: Why SFI wins 75% colleges in West Bengal unopposed?
How long this facism, terror of CPIM will continue?
Fact of the matter is, CPIM will loose even where it has strongest base, if it wants to grab fertile farm land.
I understand from Internal sources, there was a plan to give land to TATAs in Burdwan District nexr Burdwan City.
But its Benoy Koner/Nirupam Sen who shot it down, though both are big CPIM leader and hail from this part of WB.
CPIM KNOWS THERE IS HUGE OPPOSITION TO FORCEFUL LAND GRABBING. THAT’S WHY ITS NOT PLANNING INDUSTRIALIZATION IN PLACES WHERE ITS STRONG.
Because, even its committed caders will desert them.
Bhaskar Chatterjee
Please do not jump to conclusions without properly reading what is being said.
My post only explains the position of the Statesman newspaper which was quoted in the news blog. That was the context.
If you really live in West Bengal then I think you will agree that the Statesman is an anti establishment newspaper since its birth. It has opposed Indira’s emergency as well as BJP’s fascism. In West Bengal it opposes the CP(I)M’s rule.
In the process to overthrow the CP(I)M it has become the spokesperson for Mamata Bannerjee’s Mahajot – the Trinamool-BJP-Naxalite-Islamist alliance. In a free country every newspaper has the right to oppose or support any party.
Anyway coming back to the main topic, the Telegraph has an excellent and neutral analysis of the elections.
It looks beyond the left wing and right wing rhetoric.
In the last elections the Left Front won all seats because the opposition boycotted elections in half the constituencies and gave a walkover.
1997 – Left 19, Congress 5 (congress hadn’t split).
2002 – Left 25, Opposition 0; Congress splits into Trinamool and Congress and half the seats were boycitted.
2007 – Left 19, Mahajot (Trinamool, Naxalites, BJP, Congress, Jamaat) – 7
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070726/asp/frontpage/story_8108466.asp
The above of course is for everyone who is interested in electoral analysis.
And for you Mr Bhaskar Bhattacharya, you can cheer the rise of the Naxalite-Jamaat-BJP-Trinamool-Congress Mahajot and try to explain to the rest of the Indian citizens as to how the BJP can get into an alliance with Naxalites and the Jamaat? What do you say of the Islamist-Fascist Mahajot combination?
And this is what the Statesman has to say. It doesn’t do any analysis because that would not go with its current editorial and pro Naxalite-Trinamool stance. It assumes that Nandigram had an ‘effect’ on the elections, calls the elections a ’setback’ to the Left Front. It doesn’t mention even a single line saying that the Left Front actially won the elections! All it speaks of is the ’success’ of the Opposition.
That is journalism nowadays.
Cheers
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=163893
Hey Buddhi Nei,
Statesman becomes Pro-Naxalite, but CPIM is Sati-Savitri even after the role of treachery played by Yechuri at Nepal?
Talk all these rubbish to indoctrinated Idiots aka Cadres. Not in Public forum, because people will laugh at you Commie anti-nationals.
As I stated earlier, I lived Haldia for 5 years in mid 1990s, and know how election are conducted there.
Anyway, cux of the argument is, Why CPIM is loosing in Rural areas? Does it undergo to your head?
Sometime, if have a chance visit rural areas of (say) Burdwan where CPIM have/had impeccable base not so long ago.
As I sated earlier, let Buddhu/Biman/Benoy/Nirupam take 1000 acre land in Eastern Burdwan, and see what happens.
The same CPIM cadres, party members will burn down party office and chase leaders out.
But these facts donot go to dumb head of city comrades.
And why CPIM is calling Jamat Islamist, Facists?
Biman regularly attends Jamat’s annual function for Vote. Pinarai met jailed terrorist Madani. CPIM sent its member of Parliament to meet Madani before last election so terrorist NDF works for CPIM vote.
fact is, CPIM is now on the verge of extinction.
It has allowed 10s of millions of Bangladeshi Muslims, who are now working as CPIM cadre during day, and Jihadi at night.
CPIM started getting boot from Muslim disticts like Murshidabad already/
None of 55 Islamic countries ever had a Communist Govt.
Anyway, its Muslims who will burn CPIM to death, as it did in Andhra, (and other commies) in Pakistan, Bangladesh.
The Telegraph writes>>The Opposition’s victory in seven of the 26 seats is thus not very different from what it had achieved in the last real contest at Haldia in 1997.
This is hog wash. CPIM won rural pockets at that time, lost in Urban centers.
But this time it has happened just opposite which makes CPIM really nervous.
Urban WB people did not support CPIM in big way earlier. Some may have supported them lately. but THE BIG WIN CPIM HAD IN LAST ELECTION WAS BY COMMUNALISING ELECTION, PLAYING VCDs of POST-GODHRA (not Godhra) IN MUSLIM MOHALLAS.