End of Democracy in West Bengal, India

Unions see a role reversal

Krishnendu Bandyopadhyay, Udit Prasanna Mukherji & Suman Mondal | TNN 17.11.11

Haldia: Flags at the factory gates changed overnight after Trinamool Congress came to power on May 13. It marked the end of the Citu era in Haldia that rarely happens for trade unions elsewhere in the country. But in Bengal, the Citu leaders identified themselves more with the ruling CPM to exercise control on all the stakeholders – from the employees to their bosses. Stripped of power, the Citu-affiliated trade unions crumbled like a pack of cards. The members have virtually gone underground after handing down the mantle to the rival Trinamool-backed union leaders who faced a similar fate when the Left was in power. 
    The once-all-powerful CPM zonal secretary Sudarshan Manna can’t even move out after sundown, such is the scare. A total 43 Citu offices in this industrial belt had to be closed downwith the leaders huddling in the Sukumar Sengupta Bhavan, the CPM’s Haldia zonal office and the Left Front’s last fortress in Haldia. 
    “We cannot even sit at Shramik Bhawan, the Citu headquarters in Haldia. Only some of our port labourers go there and leave before sunset. You cannot imagine the extent of terror we are facing,” said Manna. 
    He claimed that they still have a support base among the majority of labourers. But they are scared to come out in the open with us. “There is no democracy in Haldia. What is going on here is a mockery of democracy,” Manna said. 
    Manna’s remark sounds similar to the Trinamool’s comments when Haldia MP and CPM strongman Laxman Seth held the sway. When TOI reporters met Trinamool labour wing leader Azizul in 2010, he said: “We are not even allowed to enter the factory gates. If any of our supporters dares to go near the factories, he is chased away.” 
    The CPM zonal office puts on a rather desolate look, with a handful of leaders roaming around lazily. “It is a political struggle. We have lodged more than 100 complaints with the police, without expecting any action. All these complaints are for records only. Right now, we cannot operate openly,” said Manna. 
    Manna, who refused to get photographed, shied away from making a specific allegation against the Opposition. “There are extortions, ransom demands, infighting. I am not interested in talking about specific cases. It is an open secret. Everyone in Haldia knows who is doing what.” 
    Unable to maintain its branches, Citu is now merging its branches into one. “It is not that we have given up the political struggle. But we are doing it much cautiously,” the veteran trade union leader said. But the man who used to call the shots in the Left’s heydays, Laxman Seth, remained beyond the reach of the media. “He is now out of Haldia,” Manna said.