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Electoral pressures force Basu to take BJP line on illegal immigrants issue

Arup Chanda in Calcutta

Why did West Bengal's Marxist Chief Minister Jyoti Basu so aggressively highlight the issue of infiltration during his meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed ?

To prevent erosion of the CPI-M's bases in the border districts in West Bengal and regain lost votebanks.

Statistics reveal that the CPI-M fared poorly in the panchayat election in May last year. The party lost 7.18 per cent votes in the rural areas compared to the 1993 election.

This has severely affected the party's votebanks in districts which have borders with Bangladesh. In its publications, the CPI-M admit that the Bharatiya Janata Party, which began the anti-infiltration campaign in West Bengal, gained considerably in the border districts. The Congress also fared well.

This made the mandarins at the Alimuddin Street state CPI-M headquarters sit up.

Till the other day the CPI-M brushed off the BJP's allegations about infiltration and described it as an "international phenomenon".

The BJP had alleged that the Marxists were helping infiltrators obtain ration cards and enlisting their names in voters lists. "The infiltrators are the CPI-M's votebank", BJP leaders had said.

According to CPI-M sources, "Committed voters of the party in almost all the border districts have turned away from us because of problems created by illegal settlers. It is the BJP which gained as they had been highlighting this problem."

The pragmatic Basu could envisage the impact this trend may have on the next assembly election due in 2001.

Along with Home Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Basu has asked the state CPI-M secretariat to adopt a hardline and counter the BJP's campaign. They have pointed out that uncontrolled infiltration has become a burden on West Bengal's economy. Basu had said, 'We are aware that people cross over daily from Bangladesh to Malda and Murshidabad districts to earn wages and go back' after his meeting with Sheikh Hasina.

This created problems in the border districts for local agricultural labourers who always voted for the Marxists. Bangladeshi labourers work for cheaper wages and the locals cannot compete with them. So they do not find work.

The BJP highlighted this and snatch away these voters from the CPI-M.

After Basu took up the issue of infiltration, the state BJP says it feels vindicated. Says West Bengal BJP president Tapan Sikdar, MP, "The Communists always wake up late. They have finally acknowledged that they incurred the wrath of voters in the border districts for siding with the infiltrators."

At the party level the state CPI-M is drawing up a plan to effectively deal with the issue of infiltration in the border districts and regain its lost base. The West Bengal government has asked the Centre for more funds to fence the border.

The state has a 2,200 km border with Bangladesh, of which 600 km is riverine and only 500 km has been fenced. By next year, 900 km of the porous border will be fenced.

According to Bhattacharya, with the completion of the project, 1,400 km of the 1,600 km border with Bangladesh would be fenced. The minister pointed out that it has become impossible to effectively man the entire border with only 20 Border Security Force battalions instead of the required 34 battalions.

Though CPI-M leaders like Basu and Bhattacharya realise the implications of this problem, party bigwigs are not ready to admit it as they feel it would amount to recognising the BJP's campaign.

CPI-M and CPI leaders dismiss Sikdar's claim and are not willing to admit electoral losses because of their stand on the infiltration issue.

Among the Left Front partners, the Forward Bloc does not share this view. The party has bases in the border districts, particularly where there are minority pockets.

It was the Forward Bloc legislator, Rabin Ghosh, who snatched away alleged infiltrators from the Maharashtra police when the Kurla Express arrived at Uluberia station in West Bengal. They were being taken by the Maharashtra police to the border for deportation.

Though a case was registered against Ghosh, his party came to his aid and no action has been taken.

The Forward Bloc may be unwilling to toe the CPI-M line on infiltration as it fears it will lose minority votes.

But it is the CPI-M which calls the shots within the Left Front and one would not be surprised if the West Bengal police conducts a campaign to deport illegal settlers to Bangladesh shortly.

Basu says more than 20,000 infiltrators have been deported to Bangladesh in the past. This time, the figure is likely to be higher.

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