🤯 Another Day in the Culture of Political Violence
Here's what you need to know for today in 3:52 minutes
Today’s Big Story
Yesterday, West Bengal MLAs exchanged blows in the state Assembly as the Opposition (led by the BJP) demanded that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee give a statement on the recent violence in Rampurhat, Birbhum. In fact, the clashes on the floor turned so violent that one MLA's nose was broken, another's clothes were torn and eventually, the speaker suspended the Leader of Opposition along with 4 other MLAs.
📯 What’s Going On?
West Bengal's Birbhum district has been simmering with tensions since last week. It started with the murder of Bhadu Shaikh, a local Trinamool Congress (TMC) panchayat leader in Bogtui village on 21st March which sparked violence in the district. Several houses were set ablaze, and at least 9 more lives have been lost in the arson incident.
Although 11 arrests have been made so far, the source of this violence remains unclear. While some reports have alleged that this is an intra-TMC feud, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says this is a conspiracy to defame West Bengal. This horrific incident has now turned into a TMC v/s BJP issue as was evident in the State Assembly proceedings yesterday.
🔍 What Does this Mean?
Many on the left deem this incident as horrific, adding concerns that this has rightfully become an opportunity for the BJP to attack TMC and believe that as the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should accept responsibility for the law and order situation in West Bengal.
Many on the right accuse the TMC of having a lackadaisical attitude towards law and order, and call for the resignation of Mamata Banerjee as well as an imposition of President's Rule in the state.
"After the assembly session started, BJP legislators staged a protest on the Bogtui issue and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who also holds the home portfolio in the state. The BJP `MLAs trooped into the Well of the House and started shouting slogans against the chief minister. Speaker Biman Banerjee repeatedly requested opposition MLAs to take their seat but they continued their protest. After around half an hour, the MLAs of the ruling Trinamool Congress also came to the Well and were involved in an altercation with opposition members." - The Indian Express
"Mamata herself is no stranger to violence. She has personally borne the brunt of it at the hands of the CPI(M)’s goons in the 1980s and 1990s when she was making her mark as a super spunky youth leader of the Congress. Hence, she ought to know that violence has an inflection point, after which it becomes counter-productive...The people of Bengal are unlikely to look at the Birbhum massacre as anything other than a horrific example of the TMC’s descent into anarchy. And the Chief Minister, her hefty mandate notwithstanding, would be wrong to presume that she can live it down by uttering the usual platitudes about bringing the guilty to book." - The Quint
"On Saturday, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari staged a protest along with party workers in front of the SDO office of Rampurhat over the Birbhum violence. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also took out ‘Nyay Yatra’ protest march. The BJP leader demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Centre’s intervention in the matter. In a setback to Mamata Banerjee, Calcutta High Court had directed the SIT formed by the West Bengal government to hand over case papers and accused persons arrested by it to the central probe agency." - Times Now
"Alleging that mass murders had become common in West Bengal, BJP's Roopa Ganguly broke down in Parliament on Friday and demanded President's Rule in the state. While speaking about the Birbhum violence in Rajya Sabha, she said that people were fleeing Bengal in fear." - India Today
💭 Why Should I Care?
Taming this Frankenstein
Since last week, #Mamata, #Birbhum and #West Bengal have been trending on Twitter in the most unfortunate terms. It turns out that Birbhum district is especially volatile and has had repeated instances of violence like this in the past, primarily post-poll violence.
Moreover, due to the recent developments vis-à-vis the state’s assembly elections, every action in West Bengal is being assessed from the prism of politics. Though predictably, she (Mamata) and her party claimed that the Birbhum killings were a “conspiracy” to malign the state, she cannot fail to sense that it does no good to her political future in Bengal (and elsewhere) if the TMC is seen as a bunch of feral gangs cannibalising each other for the spoils of their extortion rackets.
Have questions or comments about today’s newsletter?
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And in case you’re interested to learn more…
This 5-min read from India Today on why Bengal remains prone to political violence
✨ Below the Fold
Believe it or not, the first book I read in 2022 was Will Smith’s autobiography. I thought he was so bold and brave to talk frankly about his shortcomings, admitting to instances wherein several of his important relationships suffered because of his actions and in general, writing about embarrassing experiences where he’s clearly unafraid to appear foolish, even unlikeable.
In the book, he reveals that he considered killing his dad - “daddio” - to avenge the abuse his mother had suffered at his hands. "And I didn't do anything," he says. In a heartbreaking paragraph, he describes himself as a “coward” for not intervening and choosing to remain close to his dad. It almost becomes his Achilles heel throughout the book and in its final chapter, he hints at how this drove him to compensate by “powering through fear” - for his 50th birthday, he literally bungee-jumps backward out of a helicopter above the Grand Canyon.
Personally, I was pretty inspired by his life stories and have highlighted several sections of the book to revisit on a rainy day.
But after yesterday’s incident, I feel conflicted. Maybe he just really wanted to stand up to a bully and finally be the superhero he regrets not being as a 9-year-old who witnessed his dad beat up his mom. Then again, surely there was a better way to put Chris Rock in his place? To be honest I didn’t feel as happy about his Oscar win as I would have, especially considering it was his first. As someone on my Twitter put it, it turned out to be a pretty anticlimactic victory after all.
💌What are you talking about, reading, watching, cooking, listening to lately? Let me know. I’ll read every letter sent and maybe even write a below the fold post about it.
“We lose things because we are flawed, because we are human, because we have things to lose.”
– Kathryn Schulz (an American journalist)