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Nandigram issue exaggerated: CPI(M)

NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the Nandigram issue was being exaggerated by the Opposition to politically demolish the Left parties in their bastion. On the other hand, taking part in the inconclusive seven-hour debate on Nandigram, the Congress largely took a middle-of-the-road approach, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought President’s rule in West Bengal and other Left Parties wanted the issue judged from the larger perspective of the neo-liberal macroeconomic policies being pursued by the Centre.

Initiating a short duration discussion on “the proposal to set up Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Nandigram and consequent large-scale violence,” Sushma Swaraj (BJP) demanded imposition of President’s rule in West Bengal as, she claimed, the State government had failed to act on directions of the Centre for restoring law and order, peace and normality in violence-affected Nandigram area.

Ms. Swaraj narrated tales of sufferings and hit out at the CPI(M) for labelling Nandigram as a mere law and order problem and trying to prevent a discussion in Parliament on the ground that it was a State subject. She sought to know from the Home Minister if the Maoists had indeed invaded Nandigram and even if the Maoists were there did the Centre approve of the method of unleashing violence by party cadres to recapture the area from them ?

Countering the charges of the BJP Deputy Leader of the House, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said that his party condemned the violence and loss of innocent lives in Nandigram. “Whatever has happened in Nandigram since January 3 should not have happened.”

Mr. Yechury said no formal notification had been issued to set up a chemical hub in Nandigram. Countering the BJP’s demand, he said out of 341 blocks in the State, the demand for imposing President’s rule was made only in the area of one-and-a-half block. “You show your concern for internal security but at the same time you are encouraging them [Maoists]. The political objective is destruction of CPI(M),” he said.

The CPI(M) leader cautioned against the Maoist violence which amounted to “open declaration of armed action against the Indian state and has nothing to do with the land acquisition issue. We want peace, tranquillity and I assure that no crime in Nandigram will go unpunished. Please do not reduce it to settle petty political scores and do not lose sight of the larger picture.”

Brinda Karat (CPI-M) took exception to several speakers making women an instrument of their politics by overstating the number of incidents of molested — only four women were raped and the police promptly registered cases; of the several said to have been missing; most had been accounted for and unlike Gujarat where 30,000 are still displaced, most of those forced to leave their homes in Nandigram had returned.

CPI leader D. Raja said Nandigram was a lesson for all State governments as well as the Centre. He also urged the Members to take a look at the politics — “the CPI took the stand that there should be no chemical complex. Yet its Nandigram MLA was manhandled and driven out of his house. People are saying recapture took place. But who captured it in the first place? Who kept Nandigram out of bounds?”At the same time, he felt the State government could have handled the situation differently.

S.S. Ahluwalia of the BJP wanted an all-party delegation to visit Nandigram to assess the ground reality there.

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