The First Faltering Steps –
Suvobrata Ganguly
One year. Three hundred and sixty
five days. Are they enough to pass judgment on the Government, especially in
view of the circumstances that has led it to where it is? The tsunami like
tidal wave of popular support that swept all opposition in a historic mandate
brought the Government to power – naturally, the expectations of those who
brought about this change was and continues to be sky high. Should this
expectation, even abnormal by normal yardsticks at times, not be factored in
while commenting on the achievements?
There are other things that have
to be kept in mind before we go about commenting on the success vis a vis
failures of this government. For thirty four odd years the communists had
systematically “purged” the state. Every institution worth its name – be it in
the field of education or commerce and industry – was stripped of talent and
filled with loyalists with a view towards imposing the will of the “party.”
People, who may now be in disarray, but are fast regrouping to make the
functioning of the Government just that much more difficult.
The mandate that has brought the
government to power is a result of movements that are now forgotten by many of
us. Singur and Nandigram may sound like names from the distant past, but they
continue to cast their influence as the Government cannot overnight disown the
core of its being. Naturally, land for industry will be the tightrope that the
Government will have to walk even at the expense of looking anti industry
despite making the right sounds.
To understand the ground
realities better, let me take two examples. The chattering classes of Calcutta
were at their vocal best when the Singur
stand-off had led to the Tata withdrawal. Let me point out to them that the
stand that the lady had taken then was vindicated by successive popular
mandates since. Now take the case of the drama surrounding the resignation of
the erstwhile Railway Minister. While the chattering classes again went on the
overdrive braying for blood, the situation on the ground was completely
different. When I queried an octogenarian farmer from Midnapore about the fiasco, he was all praises for the “Didi”,
“look how concerned she is about the poor like us. She has not spared the high
and the mighty for trying to impose a fare hike on us.” I am using these
examples for a reason. The reality is far from what we perceive sitting here in
the air conditioned comforts of the city. It is this reality that drives her
and her actions. Unfortunately, this reality is bound to clash with what most
of the city dwellers will seek and I am sure that she has the ability to make
the ends meet for the greater benefit of all. However, one year is too short a
span to comment on this. And yes, it is not fair for the media, jaundiced by
city centric opinion to castigate her actions and a much more holistic view is
called for the sake of a fair perspective.
“What has been the biggest
achievement of the Government so far?” people ask me. And I reply, “the biggest
achievement so far, lies in what the Hon. Chief Minister did not do!” Then I go
on to explain to the bewildered listener that after three decades and a half of
plunder, pillage and rape a substantial section of West Bengal’s population had
actually “rebelled” to rid itself of the party’s yoke. In victory, this
temperamental mass was joined by the lumpen that deserted the sinking ship of
communism in search of fortunes and was ready to unleash a kind of carnage that
would have put the post Godhra riots
to shame. It is the singular credit of the Hon. Chief Minister that she not
only read the pulse right, but by putting restraint on victory celebrations
averted this catastrophe that was just waiting to happen.
In victory, a bankrupt treasury,
crumbling institutions, burning mountains and insurgent infested forests is
what she inherited. Add to it stagnation in agriculture and morass in industry.
Now tell me, by what stretches of imagination can one expect miracles to
transform them all, that too within a year?
The simplest way out of all this
is the infusion of massive doses of capital into the state’s economy. Capital
that will create infrastructure and industries, which in turn will create
employment and have the multiplier effect, leading to prosperity. Even if one
were to leave aside the contentious issue of land availability, it will not be
an easy task. And, there are compelling reasons for the same.
Every time this topic of
industrialization comes up, almost inevitably parallels are drawn between
Bengal and Gujarat, which is a tad bit unfortunate. Land is not an issue in
Gujarat considering the fact in Bengal the fertility is much better which is
why, the farmers are more reluctant to part with it. Besides, Bengal does not
have a pool of son of soil entrepreneurs to queue up to pay heed to the clarion
call of industrialization like Gujarat is blessed with.
Since those bleeding days of the
Seventies, local industrialists have been hunted and obliterated. The void left
by their extinction was filled by a breed of traders who flourished under the
patronage of the rulers that were. Fuelled by illegal coal and flouting every
norm with impunity, they had prospered in a cozy understanding of back
scratching. Yes, the willful negligence that led to the tragic loss of lives in
AMRI can be cited as an example of this unholy nexus.
The sponge iron makers, the real
estate promoters and now that multi level marketing “Chit Fund” owners – they
come in various garbs with one common agenda – to “manage” the system and make
hay while the sun shines. Asking these so-called “promoters” to set up green
field projects and aid the process of industrialization of the state is not
only fool hardy but will actually border on insanity. For used to being
pampered and “fixing” their way to easy money, they are not capable of either
setting up or running honest industries. As one senior bureaucrat put it, “our
biggest problem is that our industrialists have forgotten how to be
industrious.”
Is all lost then? No way. From
where I stand, contrary to popular belief, the view is extremely encouraging.
The steel industry is quietly rambling back to the pit-heads, to its chosen
destination in eastern India and Bengal is poised to regain her lost glory as
the smithy per excellence by riding this crest. Our traditional areas of
advantage – education, service, IT and ITES are all ready to move out of
incubation and massive scale ups. With a pro active Government with welfare in
its heart, there can be huge strides in all these directions which are capable
of bearing the fruits in the near future. The financial services hub that the
CM has set rolling is another step in this direction.
With a hinterland that is bigger
than many a state of Europe, abundantly available, skilled workforce that is
reasonably priced to boot, rich mineral resources West Bengal has all the
natural advantages. The Kolkata port system therefore could have continued to
be the harbinger of positive change the way it was during the British Raj. With
a Government eager to foster development in place, the port system can regain
its lost glories and be the gateway to prosperity, especially in view of
India’s “Look East” policy and the reemergence of the east as the center of the
steel industry.
The new Government has started
off in the right direction and has initiated steps whose impact will be felt in
the long term. Even her worst critics will not question the honest intentions
of the Hon. Chief Minister as she takes the first faltering steps towards
building a Bengal that we all dream of. Yes, the road ahead will be arduous
with many pitfalls on the way. Come, instead of bickering over small things and
rising above petty politicking let us join hands. For if we let go of this
“mandate of change” history will not treat us kindly.
(my story in Today's Business Standard)
1 comment:
The problem is not of intention but of the method of handling and better planning and learning to work together in a harmonious manner. We all know and can see wastage of resources in the form of new street lights, not having clear policies but confusing ones, poor haphazard planning among other things. The idea is not to criticize the new Govt. and expect miracles but we should praise its positives and highlight where it lacks so that it improves them to become a better Govt as the final objective remains the same irrespective of whichever Govt. - a prosperous progressive fully developed West Bengal!
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