Why, Miss. Banerjee?

Ruled by the left-wing Communist Party of India (Marxist) for over three decades, Kolkata, or the “City of Joy” as it is fondly called, had been the core of communist politics. This, however, had failed to please the people and after years of disappointment, it came as no surprise when the 2011 assembly elections brought on a complete makeover in the affairs of the state. Having gained the confidence of the people through widespread campaigning, the Trinamool Congress, West Bengal’s state political party and an important ally of the United Progressive Alliance, swept the polls and gave new hope for better governance.

A conversation about one’s mission to overthrow communist politics would be incomplete without mentioning Mamata Banerjee, TMC’s commanding leader. Be it via concrete facts or blame games, she made use of every possible means to loosen CPI (M)’s grip over West Bengal politics. Although her aim to lead the state was achieved after a long wait, she finally found her place as the chief minister of West Bengal.

TMC and the Indian National Congress shared a common objective to oust the CPI (M) from its rule in the state. It was with their backing that Banerjee could pave way to her office in the Writer’s Building in Kolkata.

The Congress usually shares cordial relations with its allies, lets them take the lead in the state and depends on their support in the central government. This balance is typically maintained by both parties. So, the growing tension between the two allies in the not-so-recent past came as a shock to many political experts.

Banerjee had plans of her own.

Friction between the allies began with the Congress demanding more seats in the assembly and Banerjee out-and-out refusing them. She blocked the policy of 100 percent foreign direct investment in retail, she gave into secessionist demands and handed Gorkhaland administrative autonomy and also blocked the international agreement with Bangladesh over sharing waters of the Teesta River.

So we ask: Why, after so many years of striving to achieve their goal, would she risk losing out on the Congress’ support? Also, why would she oppose proposals which could benefit sections of the society as well as the population of West Bengal?

A 180 degree change in opinion

“Destructive bandhs (strikes) are not the future, and it ends today,” she said in response the failure of the bandh called by the Left on Feb. 28.

From 2006 to 2011, I lived in Kolkata myself. Apart from the city turning into a ghost town between the afternoon hours of one to five, if there was one thing that annoyed me the most about the city, it was the number of bandhs that were declared by the political parties of the state. It didn’t matter which commodity was the new target of price rise or who insulted or assaulted who in a remote part of the state, calling for bandhs seemed the answer to most of them. And yes, most of them were declared by the TMC.

It was not long before she was appointed the CM of West Bengal that she organized a sizeable number of road blocks and called for bandhs across the state. Why, I ask, would she make such a hypocritical statement?
It is only when in opposition that political parties realize the inconvenience it causes to citizens when such untimely bandhs are declared.  Clearly, such is the case with Banerjee as well.

Change in alphabetical status or mere stupidity?

State leaders believed that they faced an alphabetical disadvantage in meetings and surveys. To counter this drawback, West Bengal was renamed “Paschimbanga” in August 2011. This was done to raise the state’s alphabetical position from 28 to 21.

However, if raising its alphabetical position was the only motive behind this sudden need to rename the state, why did they not go with other suggested names such as Bangla or Banga? As filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh said, Bengal would have been the ideal replacement. Not only does “Bengal” sound a lot better, it would have also raised the state’s alphabetic position to fourth instead of 21st.

Not to mention it would be ridiculed a lot less.

Where is the need to maintain the term “west” in the name of the state (“paschim” in Bengali, means west)? Except in history, East Bengal no longer exists. The circumstances in which the state was partitioned was not one that called for celebrations; they were tragic and do not deserve to be remembered, even in the form of a mere name.

In spite of all the criticism thrown her way, there is no denying that Banerjee’s popularity has risen over the years. She knows her way around politics and is good at moving the crowd to accept her ways as well.

Littering and Indians' all-pervading apathy

Every time I draw near a street corner, I hold in my breath. Strange as it may sound, this is something I have learned from years of experience. Having come to realize that a street corner in India is synonymous with an enormous pile of garbage, I know that I will most definitely be hit by an awful stench every time I approach one.

Around the world, people are taking note of India’s economic growth. However, to those who live in the country as well as those who come for visits, one thing about the country which is clearly noticeable is that their disinterest in taking care of environmental sanitation and their propensity to litter are fields in which India and its citizens seem to have come to a standstill.

There is garbage everywhere in this country: in public spaces like parks, before government offices, and also, the most ironical of them all, under signs that say, “Please do not litter here.” In all these spots, one is sure to find a heap of innocent-looking trash just waiting to grow. Nobody seems to care about the right way to discard their waste. If anything, when a person finds a mound of garbage, he or she only adds to it.

Throwing our trash out in the streets seems to be the norm for people in this country. It seems standard here. Having lived surrounded by waste and garbage all their lives, it does not bother people anymore. As long as they have some place to dispose the trash from their houses, they are content. No one seems to care about their social responsibility of keeping their surroundings clean; and by surroundings, here, I mean the neighborhood beyond their doorsteps.

So, what does this say about these people?

No matter how the country progresses economically, there never seems to be any change in their attitude towards the environment. The streets seem to be everyone’s common dustbin. Everything we don’t need ends up in a pile somewhere out in the open.

Such is the scenario now that dumping garbage in open grounds and littering is no longer seen as an environmental problem. It is shameful that one of the fastest-growing economies needs to be seen in such light.

Although environmentally conscious people do exist, there is only so much that they can do. When these rare breed of people call the commonly seen littering mongrels on their behavior, they are either mocked or simply ignored. Instead of looking up to such people for the cause they take up, they are ridiculed.

Several municipalities in the country have proposed anti-litter laws that never see the stage of actual implementation. Even if such laws are really enforced, they would become nothing but a source of illegal income for the police or others who are given the responsibility of tackling litterers. Any fines imposed on a litterer would turn into bribes and be pocketed by them.

Apart from people’s indifference and the corrupt officials, inefficient municipalities and their inability to do away with trash from the streets, as they are supposed to, is another reason behind our filthy, garbage-cluttered streets. More often than not, the pileup that we see is trash that is overflowing from a dustbin which was probably meant to be emptied months ago. What can we expect from the common people if those, who are given the official responsibility of keeping the streets clean, slack off?

If people need to shop, they can walk all day long; if money is involved, they’re on their toes and working hard for it; but if they are asked to move a couple of feet to reach an actual dustbin, all the lethargy in the world seeps into them.

Indians’ mentality towards the environment needs to change. Their lackadaisical attitude and sheer laziness needs to give way to environmental consciousness and a basic sense of community hygiene. Sooner or later, Indians need to realize that, socially accepted or not, the “practice” of littering must be brought to an end.