The Writing On The Wall

There is a curious and unique tendency among political parties in the Howrahindustrial belt in Bengal, where there are far more closed and sick industrialunits than functioning ones. That of ignoring all local issues in their posters,slogans and party programmes.

Presumably, it occurs because party leaders inherently acknowledge that nomatter who wins, things will not change one bit. If anything they will only getworse. And worse it did get in Howrah.

Even a cursory analysis of posters and wall writings on behalf of the LeftFront indicates an obsession with the BJP, its "religiousfundamentalism", its economic policies, loss of jobs, industrial sickness,price increase, sellout to multinationals and foreigners, the progress of Bengalunder the Left, the opportunism of the Cong (I), the BJP and the TrinamulCongress (TMC), and so on.

As for the TMC/Cong (I)/BJP posters and graffiti, there is the ritual mention ofincreasing incidences of corruption under the Left, its inefficiency, increasingpoverty, economic stagnation, decline in health, education and literacy in WestBengal.

Both sides quote select statistics copiously.

Remarkable, considering the fact that what the people of Howrah need are notlectures about how bad the LF is or the BJP. Even casual visitors would beshocked over the
poor state of roads, heaps of uncleared garbage lying here and there,encroachments on narrow, winding, dusty lanes over even open drains, watershortage, power failures, traffic jams, not to mention total economic stagnationand hopelessness.

Against this backdrop, no party (not even one) has the gumption to promise,even on paper, better traffic, more water, more power, or timely garbageclearance, leave alone
anti-encroachment drives.

Don’t point a finger. This is only being honest. Not promising to do what youcannot do is being truthful. Indeed a sad commentary on local governance!

Do the people have any choice? Not really. Once they supported the Congress,then the Congress (I), now they support the LF. But nothing has changed. Nothinghas improved. Things have only deteriorated. Where does one go from here?

In a way, Anuradha Putatunda, wife of PDSleader Samir Putatunda and a candidate thistime, provides the answer. When someone points out to her that local complaintsabout the chronic water shortage in summer have made no difference, she replies,"I know what the CPI(M) leaders will say, they will point to watershortages elsewhere, all over the world, blame it all on capitalism and thecentral government, without the slightest assurance that they will do anythingabout it." She should know having been in the CPI(M) until recently.

So what if the basic problems are never solved? Elections would still be heldwith leaders, their parties and the long suffering people to vote for them,campaign for them and even die for them.