02-10-2008, 08:50 PM
<b>Enjoy the antics of moron communists fighting within themselves</b>
<b>Marx, red and shamed in Kolkata</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->January 18, 2008
Dear Karl,
I know you had nothing to do with it but your name has been tarred and roasted on the streets of Kolkata. Like Nero, these perpetrators who use your name fiddled while a building burned for over 100 hours. The way the fire raged, you would think this was war-torn London. Such is the level of efficiency in West Bengal that of the 42 fire tenders which reached Burrabazar, only two functioned.
Were the protectors of the proletariat worried? Not in the least. While the city blazed, they held a rally and held forth on the revolution. Not one of their telegenic leadersâwho are normally ready for the camera at the drop of a byteâwas seen or heard at the site. Indeed, if this had been any other city, the mob would have instantly appeared on TV and prophesied the doom of the UPA regime.
You could argue that after all, it was the bourgeoisie who were affected in the fire. The thought did cross my mind. I wondered what party the traders who lost over Rs 2,000 crore of property vote for.
But it is not a class conflict. It is simply a validation of the theory that cadre-isation of the government or systems breeds sloth. "Hobey na" comes more naturally than "let's do it". This was proved just a day after the fire was put out.
Last week, the Health Ministry revealed that the West Bengal Government had put at risk millions of lives by not acting on the symptoms of and warnings about a bird flu epidemic. It was 10 days before the lal salaam machinery moved. Who knows how many lives will now be at risk? After all, unlike Maharashtra, West Bengal neither has the facilities nor the administrative mechanism to coral affected individuals. A whole state has been put to risk while the comrades were plucking chicken, well, metaphorically.
You must be wondering who these strange heartless creatures are. In case you have not heard of themâand why should you have heard of a motley crewâthey are known as the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Now I know it is delusional for any outfit without even a passing presence in 27 of the 30 states of India to call itself a national party, but such is the state of politics in India. With 60 MPs, they are the ruling Opposition in India. Yes, that sounds contradictory, but it is simple, really. The red brigade supports the government but prevents it from functioning. I don't think they agree on any issue except staying put. I am told physicists may be able to explain this state where a body uses inertia to stay afloat.
For years they have proved beyond doubt that they cannot practise what they preach. They talk about the oppression of minorities but do nothing on the ground. The literacy level of Muslims in West Bengal is astoundingly low. Despite their full-throated cry about discrimination by majoritarians, the fact remains that Muslims in other states do much better than those under the protective umbrella of the Left. In fact, the comrades would like you to believe that Nandigram was just one incident and Rizwanur just another individual.
It is not their use of pelf and prose to stay in power that surprises me. It is the absolute impotence of the Opposition to dislodge them. I have never had any doubts about their incapacity to rule or their lack of vision, but always thought their heart was in the right place. Their interventions in the name of the marginalised man, even if preachy pink, deserve support in these days of hyper-crony capitalism. But that is now being done by a host of NGOs so effectively through the use of right to information laws.
So seriously, Karl, since you now know that the God has failed, don't you think you should invoke intellectual property rights and stop CPI(M) from using your name. For starters, your name would not be shamed and the denial of this fig leaf of identity perhaps would trigger the dispersal and exit of this mob.
My apologies for intruding into your peaceful reverie, but this was critical.
Best wishes from a fellow traveller,
Shankkar Aiyar<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Big Brother feels bandh bite</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->7 Feb 2008
KOLKATA: Forward Bloc cadres on Wednesday went all out to embarrass Big Brother CPM during its daylong bandh against the police firing that killed six Bloc supporters in Dinhata.
<b>The day saw no major flare-ups but was peppered with scenes that usually mark an Opposition-sponsored bandh. Bloc activists stormed government offices and squatted on railway tracks in a bid to make its bandh â which was reduced from 24 hours to 12 â successful. There were hardly any CPM men on the streets to foil the "spontaneous" reactions.</b>
In Kolkata, transport minister Subhas Chakraborty said neither his party nor the government opposed the bandh on "tactical grounds". Though the day before he had promised more buses on the roads, he said on Wednesday, "The bandh has been called by an LF constituent. We ran some buses to maintain normality."
<b>FB was in no mood to relent. Calling the Dinhata incident "a second Nandigram", FB state secretary Asok Ghosh said the Left Front government has to take lessons from such incidents. "Is this the way the Front should survive?" asked the veteran leader.</b>
State co-operative minister Robin Ghosh showed the way early in the day. The septuagenarian sat on the railway tracks near Uluberia station with his supporters. Other FB supporters followed suit across the state, throwing train services out of gear. As many as 30 trains were cancelled and many more detained at various stations.
Ghosh wasn't the only FB leader to take to the streets. Barasat MLA Bithika Mandal stormed the office of the additional district magistrate (General) and forced the staff to vacate the building. FB men went berserk, overturning tables and other furniture before throwing out the few government officials who had turned up for work. Mandal then picketed the entrance with her supporters to stop anyone from entering. Former MLA Saral Deb was arrested for trying to enforce the bandh.
In Kolkata, the Metro functioned normally though the number of commuters fell to 30% of other weekdays. The bandh's impact was felt in areas like Esplanade, Ekbalpore, Kidderpore and Shyambazar â places where FB has a strong presence. Opposition parties supporting the bandh took to the streets at Kidderpore, Bhowanipore-Hazra crossing, Jorabagan and Howrah bridge.
FB supporters also blocked Diamond Harbour Road and forced bikers and cyclists to get off their vehicles and walk. Motorists, too, were stopped but the police presence ensure that no car or bus was damaged. The driver of a state-run bus was injured when bandh supporters pelted stones at the AJC Bose Road-Pretoria Street crossing. A sub-inspector, Prakash Ghosh, was thrashed by bandh supporters at Bowbazar. As many as 258 FB workers were arrested across the city.
In the districts, the FB supporters targeted many government offices. A bus was damaged by bandh supporters at Madhyamgram, while clashes were reported from Murshidabad and Birbhum. FB supporters came to blows with employees of the district land and land reforms office in Murshidabad. Trouble broke out when cadres tried to stop the DLLRO staff from entering office. In the ensuing melee, DLLRO employee Manabendra Dasgupta ended up with a fractured leg. Four others had to be hospitalised. Hundreds of FB supporters fought with police when they were stopped from entering the Birbhum Zilla Parishad office.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Marx, red and shamed in Kolkata</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->January 18, 2008
Dear Karl,
I know you had nothing to do with it but your name has been tarred and roasted on the streets of Kolkata. Like Nero, these perpetrators who use your name fiddled while a building burned for over 100 hours. The way the fire raged, you would think this was war-torn London. Such is the level of efficiency in West Bengal that of the 42 fire tenders which reached Burrabazar, only two functioned.
Were the protectors of the proletariat worried? Not in the least. While the city blazed, they held a rally and held forth on the revolution. Not one of their telegenic leadersâwho are normally ready for the camera at the drop of a byteâwas seen or heard at the site. Indeed, if this had been any other city, the mob would have instantly appeared on TV and prophesied the doom of the UPA regime.
You could argue that after all, it was the bourgeoisie who were affected in the fire. The thought did cross my mind. I wondered what party the traders who lost over Rs 2,000 crore of property vote for.
But it is not a class conflict. It is simply a validation of the theory that cadre-isation of the government or systems breeds sloth. "Hobey na" comes more naturally than "let's do it". This was proved just a day after the fire was put out.
Last week, the Health Ministry revealed that the West Bengal Government had put at risk millions of lives by not acting on the symptoms of and warnings about a bird flu epidemic. It was 10 days before the lal salaam machinery moved. Who knows how many lives will now be at risk? After all, unlike Maharashtra, West Bengal neither has the facilities nor the administrative mechanism to coral affected individuals. A whole state has been put to risk while the comrades were plucking chicken, well, metaphorically.
You must be wondering who these strange heartless creatures are. In case you have not heard of themâand why should you have heard of a motley crewâthey are known as the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Now I know it is delusional for any outfit without even a passing presence in 27 of the 30 states of India to call itself a national party, but such is the state of politics in India. With 60 MPs, they are the ruling Opposition in India. Yes, that sounds contradictory, but it is simple, really. The red brigade supports the government but prevents it from functioning. I don't think they agree on any issue except staying put. I am told physicists may be able to explain this state where a body uses inertia to stay afloat.
For years they have proved beyond doubt that they cannot practise what they preach. They talk about the oppression of minorities but do nothing on the ground. The literacy level of Muslims in West Bengal is astoundingly low. Despite their full-throated cry about discrimination by majoritarians, the fact remains that Muslims in other states do much better than those under the protective umbrella of the Left. In fact, the comrades would like you to believe that Nandigram was just one incident and Rizwanur just another individual.
It is not their use of pelf and prose to stay in power that surprises me. It is the absolute impotence of the Opposition to dislodge them. I have never had any doubts about their incapacity to rule or their lack of vision, but always thought their heart was in the right place. Their interventions in the name of the marginalised man, even if preachy pink, deserve support in these days of hyper-crony capitalism. But that is now being done by a host of NGOs so effectively through the use of right to information laws.
So seriously, Karl, since you now know that the God has failed, don't you think you should invoke intellectual property rights and stop CPI(M) from using your name. For starters, your name would not be shamed and the denial of this fig leaf of identity perhaps would trigger the dispersal and exit of this mob.
My apologies for intruding into your peaceful reverie, but this was critical.
Best wishes from a fellow traveller,
Shankkar Aiyar<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Big Brother feels bandh bite</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->7 Feb 2008
KOLKATA: Forward Bloc cadres on Wednesday went all out to embarrass Big Brother CPM during its daylong bandh against the police firing that killed six Bloc supporters in Dinhata.
<b>The day saw no major flare-ups but was peppered with scenes that usually mark an Opposition-sponsored bandh. Bloc activists stormed government offices and squatted on railway tracks in a bid to make its bandh â which was reduced from 24 hours to 12 â successful. There were hardly any CPM men on the streets to foil the "spontaneous" reactions.</b>
In Kolkata, transport minister Subhas Chakraborty said neither his party nor the government opposed the bandh on "tactical grounds". Though the day before he had promised more buses on the roads, he said on Wednesday, "The bandh has been called by an LF constituent. We ran some buses to maintain normality."
<b>FB was in no mood to relent. Calling the Dinhata incident "a second Nandigram", FB state secretary Asok Ghosh said the Left Front government has to take lessons from such incidents. "Is this the way the Front should survive?" asked the veteran leader.</b>
State co-operative minister Robin Ghosh showed the way early in the day. The septuagenarian sat on the railway tracks near Uluberia station with his supporters. Other FB supporters followed suit across the state, throwing train services out of gear. As many as 30 trains were cancelled and many more detained at various stations.
Ghosh wasn't the only FB leader to take to the streets. Barasat MLA Bithika Mandal stormed the office of the additional district magistrate (General) and forced the staff to vacate the building. FB men went berserk, overturning tables and other furniture before throwing out the few government officials who had turned up for work. Mandal then picketed the entrance with her supporters to stop anyone from entering. Former MLA Saral Deb was arrested for trying to enforce the bandh.
In Kolkata, the Metro functioned normally though the number of commuters fell to 30% of other weekdays. The bandh's impact was felt in areas like Esplanade, Ekbalpore, Kidderpore and Shyambazar â places where FB has a strong presence. Opposition parties supporting the bandh took to the streets at Kidderpore, Bhowanipore-Hazra crossing, Jorabagan and Howrah bridge.
FB supporters also blocked Diamond Harbour Road and forced bikers and cyclists to get off their vehicles and walk. Motorists, too, were stopped but the police presence ensure that no car or bus was damaged. The driver of a state-run bus was injured when bandh supporters pelted stones at the AJC Bose Road-Pretoria Street crossing. A sub-inspector, Prakash Ghosh, was thrashed by bandh supporters at Bowbazar. As many as 258 FB workers were arrested across the city.
In the districts, the FB supporters targeted many government offices. A bus was damaged by bandh supporters at Madhyamgram, while clashes were reported from Murshidabad and Birbhum. FB supporters came to blows with employees of the district land and land reforms office in Murshidabad. Trouble broke out when cadres tried to stop the DLLRO staff from entering office. In the ensuing melee, DLLRO employee Manabendra Dasgupta ended up with a fractured leg. Four others had to be hospitalised. Hundreds of FB supporters fought with police when they were stopped from entering the Birbhum Zilla Parishad office.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->