Let me remind you in this connection of the bitter experience of the Left and liberal intellectuals outside West Bengal in the 1990s, when they in a similar fashion, elevated Shibu Soren, Laloo Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayavati as the subaltern leaders of the tribal communities, OBCs, and dalits respectively. What happened? These so-called representatives of the oppressed were successively brought to power in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states – supported by the Left and liberal intellectuals (your counterparts in these states). But once coming to power,these chief ministers have replicated the same model of governance as set by their Congress or BJP predecessors. Their regimes in Jharkhand, Bihar, UP are marked by scenes of horse-trading on Assembly floors, and tainted by cases of nepotism, financial scams, suppression of popular protests. Is Mamata Banerjee any different? Given her past record as a typical weathercock in Indian national politics, and the present record of her party as a corrupt functionary in West Bengal’s panchayats, can you seriously accept her as a leader of the Bengali oppressed poor to bring `paribartan’ in our state ? Once elected as the West Bengal chief minister, she is likely to replicate the same model. http://www.radicalsocialist.in/index.php/articles/national-situation/218-an-open-letter-to-mahashweta-debi-d-bandyopadhyay-suvaprasanna-sujato-bhadra-and-other-friends?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+radicalsocialist+%28Radical+Socialist%29
".. Let me remind you in this connection of the bitter experience of the Left and liberal intellectuals outside West Bengal in the 1990s, when they in a similar fashion, elevated Shibu Soren, Laloo Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayavati as the subaltern leaders of the tribal communities, OBCs, and dalits respectively. What happened? These so-called representatives of the oppressed were successively brought to power in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states – supported by the Left and liberal intellectuals (your counterparts in these states). But once coming to power,these chief ministers have replicated the same model of governance as set by their Congress or BJP predecessors. Their regimes in Jharkhand, Bihar, UP are marked by scenes of horse-trading on Assembly floors, and tainted by cases of nepotism, financial scams, suppression of popular protests. Is Mamata Banerjee any different? Given her past record as a typical weathercock in Indian national politics, and the present record of her party as a corrupt functionary in West Bengal’s panchayats, can you seriously accept her as a leader of the Bengali oppressed poor to bring `paribartan’ in our state ? Once elected as the West Bengal chief minister, she is likely to replicate the same model. In these circumstances, shouldn’t you as the intelligentsia of West Bengal, give a lead to an alternative movement? A movement for a third option? In the present bi-polar political situation in West Bengal, the people are left with no choice but the CPI(M) or the Trinamul only. There is an urgent need for an alternative strategy that restores morality in Bengali politics, puts an end to the goonda-raj of both the CPI(M) and Trinamul varieties, and re-establishes the values of a socialist, democratic and secular society. Instead of clinging to Mamata Banerjee’s anchal, don’t you have the courage to create such an alternative platform by bringing together both Left-minded people and liberal democrats? A platform that will demarcate itself from the discredited CPI-M led Left, as well as from the opportunist politics of Mamata Banerjee. A platform from which, a new generation of political activists may emerge to work towards a basic change in the socio-economic structure in West Bengal. Sumanta Banerjee, Dehradun, August 22, 2010. [email protected] -- You cannot build anything on the foundations of caste. You cannot build up a nation, you cannot build up a morality. Anything that you will build on the foundations of caste will crack and will never be a whole. -AMBEDKAR http://venukm.blogspot.com http://www.shelfari.com/kmvenuannur http://kmvenuannur.livejournal.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB.
