Chief Minister's New Directive, "…Better Steal Than Hawk"

In last 8 months people of West Bengal have witnessed a specter of state development executed by the new State Government. From metro station to Indira Bhawan we noticed raining respect for our cultural icons. We have witnessed open firing to install law and order by the Police. 53 left martyrs, suicide of 11 farmers, Ordinance in education, devaluation of potato to 20 paisa/kilo, distress sale of harvest are the milestones of the Government 'maa-mati-manush'. After the forced eviction of hawkers from Mangalahat, Howrah, her Government surprised the hawkers of Harish Mukherjee Road with massive lathi-charge on 3rd January, 2012.

It is the Bhawanipur Police Station, where the Chief Minister went to safeguard some TMC hoodlums a few months earlier, endorsed forceful eviction of hawkers of Harish Mukherjee Road followed by brutal lathi-charge. The abrupt evacuation was undergone with further reinforcement of troops from the reserve police. Even a physically challenged hawker, Santosh Shaw got no less treatment from the police. The evicted hawkers then blocked the road to condemn the administrative autocracy. They demanded for proper argument of the sudden eviction without prior notice. D. C. (South) came up with damage-control measures and was able to make the hawkers withdraw the road-block.

It was time for CM's daily soap. Her convoy stopped at Harish Mukherjee Road. She literally ran towards the hawkers and roamed here and there. CM then started with her state-of-the-art style threatening what is no less than odd and ill mannered, that, no indiscipline would be tolerated, CPI(M) is behind all the stuffs, it'll take split of moment to evict and no one can stop her. When she was about to leave the place, the hawkers were so astonished with the counter-measure taken by the CM that they screamed 'what will we do?' They claimed for professional security in order to be able to earn minimal livelihood for their families. Then the CM of 'maa-mati-manush' came up with her new statement, "…better steal than hawk."

For the last three and half decades it was the Left Front Government that provided every possible social security to the unorganised labourers, of which the hawkers belonged. New Government's anti-people policies are now threatening the 'balanced social dimensions' of West Bengal. Social security is actually under attack. But the craftsmen of the attacks must be sure that they are about to face the hardest of organised social and political challenges if they continue with their impulsive anti-people agenda.