Banking on paranoia, fear, CPI(M), Cong leaders meet villagers in Bhangar

In a bid to take advantage of the prevailing disharmony, CPI(M) and Congress leaders went to Bhangar on Wednesday and talked to some villagers.

The CPI(M) leaders were more eager than their Congress counterparts, and went on to call Mafijul Khan, who died of bullet injury on Tuesday night, ‘a martyr.’ A rally was taken out in the afternoon, where the leaders wore black badge.

CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty went to the area Wednesday morning and criticised the state government for “making attempts to take over the land of poor farmers forcibly.”

He also criticised the “barbaric and inhuman highhandedness of police.” Chakraborty assured the 

villagers every co-operation and said he will stand by their side in times of need.

Adhir Chowdhury, Pradesh Congress Committee chief, went to Khan’s house and said the situation could have been avoided had the state government tried to get the confidence of the people.

Both CPI(M) and Congress are desperately trying to get back their hold over the area.

Three years ago, the erstwhile Left Front government had tried to acquire land for the project, but finally gave it up following protests in Singur and Nandigram.

The project had started three years ago. However, neither the Congress nor CPI(M) leaders visited the spot.

Bhangar was an erstwhile CPI(M) stronghold, but it came to Trinamool Congress in 2011.

Little control, which the CPI(M) had even after 2011, was completely lost after Abdur Rezzak Mollah joined Trinamool and became a minister.

Tuesday’s movement is reported to be the handiwork of Jomi Jibika Poribesh Bastutantra Raksha Committee, comprising some Maoists and CPI(ML) (Red Star) members.

The outsiders managed to brainwash the villagers in the last three months, when the project was nearing completion.

They told villagers that when the grid starts functioning, cultivation will be badly affected and most of the farmers will have no work.

They also claimed it would spread different diseases, including cancer.

Local people said that the outsiders used to come to the villages from Kolkata and held meetings with them.

They conducted door-to-door campaigns and held central meetings. They took advantage of the infighting in Trinamool in the area to fulfil their mission.

Local Trinammool leaders did not inform the party senior’s leaders and they were taken aback when the villagers gheraoed the police and finally forced the state government to abandon the project.