Calcutta Corner

Not Like M&M

Whatever else Mamata Banerjee may be, she is not wily.  It is unlikely that you will catch her doing what Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav did during the voting on FDI in retail this week. The two leaders, respectively of the BSP and the SP, have been scathingly critical of the UPA government’s decision to implement 51 percent of Foreign Direct Investment in the retail sector. But when it came to voting, their MPs found some excuse or the other not to be present in Lok Sabha, ensuring that the UPA government got what it wanted. It is alleged that the BSP and SP do not want to antagonize the UPA government for fear that the CBI would be sent after them on various charges. Before Mamata Bannerjee pulled out of the UPA, it was said that when it came to the crunch she wouldn’t do it because the CBI would initiate probes against several TMC members. But she did pull the plug. Soon after, the central government’s corporate affairs ministry did indeed swung into action and asked concerned agencies to begin enquiries into various “shady” chit fund companies operating in the state some of which reportedly have connections with members of the ruling party in the state. Many of the pro-Mamata publications in the state are run by chit fund companies, for instance. However, the fact that the fear of such repercussions did not stop Mamata Banerjee from coming out of the government reflects well on her, especially when juxtaposed to the machinations of Mayawati and Mulayam.

The Gag Order

But Mamata most certainly is rash. She has made spur of the moment judgments such as when she declared an allegation of rape by a woman a “concocted story” and in an angry outburst she has branded people as Maoists for questioning her.  So it was ironic when this week she called some of her cabinet ministers and issued a gag order on them in order to stop them from blurting out in front of the media the first thing that comes to their minds . Interestingly, this was a direct fallout of one of her newly instituted ministers—in a controversial reshuffling of the cabinet she had MLA Becharam Manna, who was her right-hand man during the Singur agitation—replace a supposedly “non-performing” minister. Well, one of Manna’s first performances was to tell Singur residents to go ahead and take the law into their own hands and grab the land that they lost in case the court judgment went against them. 

To refresh readers’ memories, in Singur, a section of the farmers were unwilling to part with their land when Tata Motors setting up its small car factory there. But a law that allowed the government to acquire land for “development” forced them to give up their land. But Mamata Banerjee promised them that they would get their land back if she came to power. As chief minister one of her first acts was to pass the Singur Land Act in the Assembly, a legislation which sought to remove legal impediments in returning government-acquired land to their original owners. But the Calcutta High Court overruled the litigation, calling it null and void. The case is sub-judice and in the meantime the angry farmers, who are gradually losing hope of getting their land back, have demanded to know from the new minister Manna, what the position is. In this context, Bechara Becharam Manna blurted out what came to his mind, not realizing that he could be causing trouble, the least of which was a chiding from Mamata and the worst, being booked for contempt of court. 

Mamata who herself some weeks past made a statement alleging that judgments were sometimes bought (she was obliquely referring to a court ordering that compensation be paid to the professor who was beaten up and arrested for circulating a caricature of the CM), however summoned Manna, demanding an explanation and ordering him to keep his mouth shut from hence forth, at least as far as speaking to the media is concerned. In fact, a criminal contempt case had been filed against her in the Calcutta High Court, the hearing of which has now been put off till December 14.

No Space for Ray?

For a week starting December 24, lovers of Satyajit Ray’s films living in Delhi were supposed to be in for a treat. The first ever retrospective of the master’s works was all set to be inaugurated in the capital city. News has just come in that that’s been called off. That’s a shame. And the Satyajit Ray Society (SRS), the Calcutta-based organization, headed by the Ray’s son, Sandip Ray, is shocked.  The reason for the cancellation is almost a hard-to-believe logistical problem. The Director of Film Festivals (DFF), which is a wing of the information and broadcasting ministry, had agreed to provide the auditorium at Siri Fort free of cost for the week of the festival. This week officials of the directorate informed them that the space was not available. While this has caused some embarrassment to the SRS, who have to now call their celebrity guests and invitees and inform them of the cancellation, the DFF is blaming it on the recent transfers of some important officials within the body who were looking after the planning of the festival. Last heard, the SRS is trying to organize a later date for when the festival can be held.

Bookfairs Ahoy!

Winter is the season of book fests in Calcutta. While the mother of all book fairs—the Calcutta Book Fair—is to be held in January, several others have already burst onto the scene. From the Apeejay Kolkata Book Fair (AKBF), which is celebrating its fourth run this year, to the smaller ones held in the suburban districts, like the Sonarpur Book Fair (SBF), each of the fairs seem to have their own unique identity. AKBF organizes as part of its festivities panel discussions on a range of thought-provoking topics and coordinates outdoor cultural activities. The SBF draws students as a majority of the books here are text books available at attractive rates. At any rate, this is clearly the season for Calcutta’s bookworms, who come out of the woodwork to attend.

Sign of the Times

Written behind an auto: “Raag korona shona…jol chara shobi kena (Don’t be mad my dear…other than water nothing is free)"