The Left?s custodianship of secular credentials is under threat. In the last few days, a section of the minority community, in different ways, has shown their displeasure with it. The most extreme thing to happen was the violence on Wednesday, which forced the state government to call in the Army.
It all started when a Muslim outfit, the All India Minority Forum (AIMF), staged a three-hour shutdown against Nandigram issue and demanding expulsion of Bangladesh author, Taslima Nasreen.
According to the police, the mob attacked the law-enforcing authority, smashed and burnt vehicles and blocked the lanes of minority-dominated central Kolkata. The Army was called when the police failed to restrain the mob. But various reports suggest that AIMF, which does not weild much influence in the community, was sidelined as violence raged in the city. While the police are still trying to find who the key participants were, police sources said these included fundamentalist Islamic leaders, opposition politicians from Trinamool Congress and Congress and religious Muslim organisations.
Opinion is divided on whether the fury was more to do with the demand for Taslima?s expulsion or Nandigram or a mix of Taslima, Rizwanur and Nandigram. With Taslima being sent out of Bengal, it is to be seen whether minority anger towards the state government will be doused.
Nandigram has been a major issue for Bangla as well as Urdu-speaking Muslims in the state. ??The only good thing with regard to Muslims was that they were safe in the last 30 years of Left rule in West Bengal. What happened in Nandigram puts a question mark on that,?? says Manzoor Alam, general secretary, All India Milli Council.
Officials in Nandigram block admit that majority of the people who have been evicted from the villages by CPI(M) cadres and stationed in refugee camps, are Muslims. A large number of people who have been killed in the violence have been Muslims and there have been allegations of women belonging to the minority section being physically assaulted. Ashok Sarkar admits, ??In most of these villages, a large number of houses damaged belong to the Muslims.??
??The issue of Taslima was there for the last few years but Nandigram created the base for this kind of outburst,?? said Mohammed Israfil, who works with an NGO, Right Track.
With the panchayat polls scheduled for next year and Muslim votes constituting 22% of the vote bank, signs of minority displeasure may be creating pressure on Left parties, particularly CPI(M). Especially, in the backdrop of the Sachar Committee report which showed how deprived Muslims were in Bengal compared with the situation in other states.