Hindus in Bengal have realised that this election is their last chance for survival. If they miss it, Bengal will become an extension of Bangladesh with terrifying consequences. Their language and pride will be things of the past and they will be living in their own land as second class citizens, if not refugees. – Virendra Parekh
What is going on in Bengal is not just an election campaign, but a do-or-die battle to retain West Bengal on India’s map. Nothing less. The poll outcome will determine whether Bengal can halt and reverse the onslaught of jihadi Islam underway for decades and regain its civilizational consciousness. It is a tough fight. Islamist forces which have captured large swathes of Bengal are loathe to loosen their grip. The good news, however, is that for the first time since independence Hindutva forces have truly joined the battle and seem to be succeeding.
Mamata Banerjee’s cup of woes is overflowing. The evil mechanism which she borrowed wholesale from the CPM and has been deploying to manipulate polls is being dismantled systematically. The job is being done ably by the Election Commission of India with full backing of the Supreme Court.
The mechanism broadly has three features, each supporting the other two. First, inflating voter rolls with millions of bogus names. The largest group here is, of course, Bangladeshi infiltrators. The state government, under succeeding dispensations—Congress, CPM and TMC—has been running for decades a veritable industry of issuing them Aadhar card, ration cards and voter card. Besides, names of millions of people who were dead or had moved away or had their names at multiple places, were carefully retained on the electoral rolls. Second, use of intimidation, terror and violence to prevent supporters, workers and candidates of other parties from contesting, campaigning and voting in the elections. This was possible because in Bengal both the police and the civil administration is accustomed, for decades, to be acting as handmaidens of the ruling party. Their career at every stage—recruitment, posting, transfers, promotions—depends on the good offices of the party bosses. Third, booth capturing. Both during and after the voting hours, TMC goons will cast votes in the names of bogus voters in favour of the ruling party. Nobody dare challenge them. Putting these three things together results in a foolproof mechanism to ‘win’—hijack—election after election.
This formidable mechanism is reinforced by two other strong props. First the Marxists and then Mamata systematically obliterated the distinction between the party and the government. Every government service will be mediated through the party. If you want a government job, ration card or BPL card, file a police complaint, claim a subsidy or benefit under a government scheme, register yourself under MNREGA—the nod from the local party functionary is essential. This iron grip on government patronage and even basic services gives the ruling party a powerful leverage on the life of the people. In practice, an election is not a contest among different parties to form the government, but between the government and others. The surprise is not that the ruling party wins so many seats, but that the opposition parties get even a few.
Muslim vote bank is another prop. Muslims form 27 per cent of the state’s population, decide the outcome in over 50 assembly seats and can influence it in as many others. They vote single-mindedly en bloc for any candidate who is best placed in their constituency to defeat the BJP. This gives TMC a head start.
This apparently unbeatable edifice has lasted for five decades. Now it is being demolished clinically by tearing down one part after another. The SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of the electoral rolls has removed 91 lakh bogus names from voter list. This is a huge number in a state where dozens of seats are won or lost by a few thousand votes. The Election Commission swung into action soon after the polls were notified. In addition to the chief secretary, home secretary, DGP and police commissioner of Kolkata, 173 police station-in-charge and 83 BDO have been transferred. Officers who acted as limbs of the ruling party are being shunted out. How deep the rot ran can be inferred from the fact that even from the office of Chief Election Officer four officers had to be sent out summarily. Finally, CCTV cameras will be deployed both inside and outside the polling stations. Repolling can be ordered if CCTV cameras are not functioning.
As regards the Muslim vote bank, there are two more claimants for Muslim votes. Humayun Kabir, former TMC MLA who courted notoriety by announcing construction of Babri Mosque in Bengal has floated his own party. Next, Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlise-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen is in the fray with a disarming argument: if Muslims have their own party, why vote for parties controlled by kaffirs?
More importantly, Muslim consolidation is being firmly countered by the Hindu awakening. This is going to prove the most important and decisive factor in the current election. Atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh since August 2024 have held a mirror to the Hindus in Bengal. In it they see an image of their own future if they became a minority. Hindus in Bengal have realised that this is their last chance for survival. If they miss it, Bengal will become an extension of Bangladesh with terrifying consequences. Their language and pride will be things of past and they will be living in their own land as second class citizens, if not refugees.
BJP leaders, especially Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Aditynath and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma articulate the main issue of this election is starkly clear terms. Bengal’s cultural identity is facing a mortal danger. Bengal of sages like Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo Ghosh and savants like Rabindranatha Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay will soon be extinct if the current dispensation wins. Yogiji regales his audiences by narrating how he meted out bulldozer justice to Muslim mafias in UP while Sarma assures them that it is possible to detect and deport Bangladeshis if there is will. They add that it is possible to adopt these policies in Bengal also, if the BJP is given a chance to govern it. People’s response is rapturous.
Mamata Banerjee has nothing to show by way of development, infrastructure, investment, jobs or growth. Her rule is characterised by corruption, extortion, atrocities on women and anti-business policies. Fear remains her most potent weapon. TMC goons are telling people that Modi, Shah, Yogi or Sarma are here only for a few days; thereafter, you will have to live with us. They also hoodwink the people by saying that CCTV cameras will disclose whom they voted for. So they had better beware while voting. To their horror, these tactics are no longer working. The response BJP leaders are getting from ordinary people shows that they have walked out of their fears. Even police officers, sensing the winds of change, are acting against TMC goons instead of being mute witnesses until recently.
Mamata Banerjee, clueless and panicky, is playing one card after another. She has condemned the election commission as BJP’s handmaiden, moved court against SIR and argued her case personally in Supreme Court, sat on dharana in public and fulminated against Gujarati bideshis (foreigners). Nothing works. The court has refused to grant her any relief. People remain impervious to her tantrums, fear mongering and choreographed concerns. She looks more and more like a magician whose tricks are exposed and yet she goes on performing furiously.
Mamata Banerjee’s defeat is certain. Her demonic rule is tottering. However, she will try her best—or worst—before and after the elections. The anti-India forces she represents will not concede defeat easily. We may witness a fresh round of deadly violence after the declaration of results.
› Virendra Parekh writes on economics and politics, also on issues related to Indian civilization, history and cultural nationalism.
Filed under: india | Tagged: BJP vs TMC, hindu revival, mamata banerjee, political corruption, west bengal elections |
