Smouldering Bengal !

Post-election results, there is complete anarchy in Bengal. Although TMC won the elections, TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee was defeated in Nandigram. The news that her party goons brutally killed at least 9 BJP workers soon surfaced. Senior BJP leaders have revealed that many Hindu women were tortured and harassed. They have also claimed that the Muslims have attacked Hindus. On the other hand, the paragon of secularism – Secular Media – thinks politics as the core reason for the violence and believes the religious angle is unnecessarily brought in by BJP. To substantiate their claim, these news channels have also reported alleged killings of some TMC workers.

This is religious violence

It must be noticed that, these killings have continued relentlessly after the declaration of results on 2nd May and it is clear that they have religious angle as well along with the political angle. The appeasement of Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators residing in Bengal was so blatant that in the process it was promised that the NRC would not get implemented if elected, compromising national security. Mamata Didi’s call for Muslims to vote en masse for TMC was the prime reason why TMC was re-elected. On the other hand, the BJP manifesto promised Indian citizenship by the way of CAA to all Hindus who fled Bangladesh to escape relentless persecution and aid of Rs. 10,000 each year to all such families. This indeed indicates extreme polarisation; however, it also reveals some serious fault-lines in the unity of Hindu voters when compared with the absolute unity displayed by Muslims in their voting. This ideological polarisation has manifested physically in the form of violence after the results. Since this violence has stemmed from anti-State and anti-Hindu ideology, we can safely assume it to be religious and anti-national.

For this election, 44 out of 292 elected MLAs are Muslims and 43 of them are just from one party – TMC. Although most of the other elected TMC MLAs are Hindus, it is needless to guess their ideology considering the ideology of their party chief. Post-election victory, she has made it a point to specifically thank her minority supporters. We better not think about the prospects of Bengal for the next 5 years, which was governed by TMC for the past 10 years with blatant appeasement of Muslims. Policies such as restrictions on Durga Puja, rewarding the Moulavis with state-sponsored largesse would pose a serious threat to national unity and integrity. Mamata Banerjee has already made it public that she would not implement NRC. Not only this, the ’Siliguri Corridor‘ issue could also resurface in the future.

Siliguri Corridor

Siliguri Corridor is  Indian territory spanning over 22 * 14 kms.  It’s a stone’s throw away from Nepal, China, Bhutan and Bangladesh. This narrow piece of land is strategically important as it connects North-East India with the rest of the country. This corridor is situated in Northern Bengal and is just 70 kms. away from the Seemanchal Sector of Bihar, which is a Muslim-dominated area. In the recently concluded Bihar State elections (in October 2020), 5 MIM MLAs were elected from the Districts of Purnia, Arariya,  Katihar and Kishanganj. The Uttar Dinajpur District of Bengal, which is adjacent to this Corridor, is once again a Muslim-dominated area and most of the elected MLAs are from TMC. Things are not different for other adjoining Districts of South Dinajpur, Malda and Murshidabad as well. The Chinese dragon also keeps a close eye on Doklam, which is a part of Bhutan, and Doklam is very close to the Siliguri Corridor. This proximity to Siliguri Corridor is the reason the Dragon always keeps trying to gain strategic control over Doklam. Nepal is slowly and gradually becoming a proxy of China. There is a serious threat to the security of our Nation considering a dangerous mix of Islamist Bangladesh, the Chinese Dragon and the political situation unfolding in that region. On this very topic, a documentary titled ’Bangla Crescent‘ was released in 2005.

Mayank Jain

Mayank Jain, director of this documentary, did not deny this possibility; rather in his recent remarks, he expected a dire situation to unfold in the region. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has a major base in Bagdogra, which is in the same region.  The IAF spends crores of Rupees for its maintenance. Hitherto, the Congress votes of the Muslim population have now been bagged by TMC – this is clear with the results of State elections. We cannot deny the possibility of anti-national and anti-religious elements taking advantage of this situation.

Given these circumstances, it has become imperative for the Indian government to review the political situation in Bengal from a national security standpoint. Many people have started contemplating that if the President’s Rule could be imposed during the times of Nehru and Indira Gandhi, why not impose in Bengal to bring the situation in control. It is high time that the Center acts considering the smouldering Bengal and the national ramifications of the events therein.