Panchayat polls: Fears of violent past haunts West Bengal's Nandigram

Nandigram: Nandigram, an area scarred by previous bouts of turmoil, is once again engulfed in fear and apprehension as the ongoing clashes in the run-up to the panchayat polls in West Bengal revived deep-seated traumas among those affected during the anti-land acquisition movement in 2007.

The panchayat polls on July 8 resurrect the spectre of past traumas, casting an indelible shadow over the lives of residents of Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district, as vivid recollections of witnessed horrors continue to haunt their memories, evoking palpable fear.

Despite a "more peaceful" panchayat poll process in Nandigram as compared to previous years, locals remain apprehensive about potential violence on the day of polling due to past experiences, the political climate, and community tensions.

Ashok Guria, a veteran leader in Nandigram, acknowledged that while incidents of violence are few and far between, an undercurrent of tension exists among rivals due to scuffles among the TMC workers, renegades of the ruling party, and the BJP as they try to establish their dominance.

"Although the poll process in Nandigram has been more peaceful this year as compared to 2013 and 2018, there is still a sense of fear among the locals," Guria, a former CPI (M) leader, who is now campaigning for the Congress, told PTI.

Rabin Pal whose son is a BJP candidate said that the situation has improved but there is still apprehension about whether the day of polling will pass peacefully.

"In Nandigram, the poll process has been peaceful so far as compared to other parts of the state, though the TMC is in a tough spot here. We only pray that the polling day, too, passes off peacefully," Pal, who lost two family members during the anti-land acquisition movement, said.

The local BJP leadership, however, has alleged that crude bombs were hurled in areas where the party is strong, though the ruling TMC dismissed the charges as baseless.

However, few crude bombs were recovered from areas in the last few days.

Nandigram, once the scene of one of the bloodiest movements against land acquisition to set up a chemical hub, shot into national limelight in 2007 when TMC leader Mamata Banerjee came down to spearhead the agitation against the then Left Front government.

After a decade-long peace, the sleepy village shot back to the limelight when Banerjee's erstwhile protégé Suvendu Adkikari challenged her in the 2021 assembly elections from the constituency.

Banerjee faced a narrow defeat at the hands of her rival.

Sabuj Maity, whose house was twice set on fire- first in 2007 during the anti-land acquisition movement and also in 2021 during the assembly polls violence - has decided against participating in any political rally or programme this time.

"Sporadic violence has escalated in the area since Suvendu Adhikari's shift to BJP (in 2020). TMC rebels now joining the bandwagon have worsened the situation," the 49-year-old said.

Villagers hope whoever wins the rural polls will ensure peace returns.

"Before the poll process started, there were incidents of violence. However, since the announcement of poll dates, the area has been quite peaceful. We hope whoever wins the election ensures permanent peace," Manoj Das, a villager, said.

Purba Medinipur Zilla Parishad, under which Nandigram falls, has been a pocket borough of the TMC since 2008 when it first snatched the district from the Left Front. Since then, there has been no looking back for the party.

The Trinamool Congress won the 2013 and 2018 rural polls in the area with massive margins, with the last being mainly uncontested.

In the two blocks of Nandigram, the TMC has decided to put up new faces in 80 per cent of seats leading to a protest by veterans who chose to contest as independents.

Swadesh Adhikari, a veteran of the anti-land acquisition movement and a former TMC leader who had switched to the BJP ahead of the assembly polls, feels that the fight in Nandigram is more between TMC nominees and its rebels than between the ruling party and the BJP.

"The violence during the anti-land acquisition stir was different from that during the panchayat elections as the previous one revolved around a mass movement, but now, it has come down to political turf war with communal polarisation playing a key role," Adhikari, who is contesting as a BJP candidate, said.

Even as villages of Gokulpur, Gokulnagar, Gopi Mohanpur, and Heria have turned into strongholds of the BJP, Sonachura, Haripur, Khejuri, Brindaban Chak, Daudpur, and Tekhali remain loyal to the TMC.

Sheikh Sufiyan, a senior TMC leader and deputy chairman of Purba Medinipur Zilla Parishad, alleged that the BJP was “trying to disturb” the peaceful atmosphere.

"The BJP, sensing defeat, is trying to disturb the peace in the area. They won the elections in 2021 through violence; they just want to repeat it. But people will give them a befitting reply," he said.

Local BJP leader Gour Hari Maity dubbed the allegations as “baseless” and accused the ruling party of letting loose a reign of silent terror in the area.