“Public Administration is the management of man and materials in the accomplishment of the purposes of the State”- Leonard D White
The authority and administration have a lot to do when it comes to development of society- economically and socially. Does this statement stand true for the state of West Bengal? Let’s analyse from independence.
Bengal Under Congress
Bengal, post-Independence, was under the chief ministership of Dr. B. C. Roy. A stalwart, dedicated medical practitioner, had to literally work hard to keep up the integrity of the state. Though there were some significant reforms, the state lacked in setting up manufacturing industries. There were only few that were set-up. In addition to this, Bengal, in 1954, despite being on the fertile alluvial soil of the Ganges, faced a massive food crisis. This was considered as one of the major failures. According to India Today report published on May 20, 2016, “While the onus of Indian politics became more and more north-western, the fact that Bengal faced two back-to-back partitions and migrations in 1947 and 1971 did not attract adequate administrative attention. The Bangladesh Liberation War sparked ire among the youths of Bengal”.
The failure of the then Congress government can be embarked by the fact that the administration failed to suppress the largest youth revolution in the form of Naxalite movement in 1970-71. There was Naxalbari uprising as well in 1967 where the insurgency was led by hard-line district-level CPI(M) leaders.
In addition to this, the state witnessed a large number of refugees migrating into Bengal- creating a collapse of the entire infrastructure of the state. This incident occurred during The Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. The failure to stop the influx of migrants has been the major black spot of the Congress at that time. The problem still exists and the state is facing.
Bengal Under CPI(M)
CPI(M) came to power in 1977 and since then the state has been in continuous downfall. With rising numbers of rapes, murders, extortion the law and order of the state continued to slip every year. The hope of industries coming to state was shattered with numerous labour unions and protests. The state was termed as the city of strikes and protests. The production at various factory units came to halt and these remained shut for majority of the year. Many companies decided to thus either stop their production completely or shift their units to other locations.
However, the major contribution to the state at that time was of Kolkata Metro which happened to be the first in India.
CPI(M) ruled the state for more than 34 years and carried the legacy of Congress rule of not contributing significantly to the state’s development. People of Bengal, during all these years, witnessed a huge increase in the number of riots, extortions, rapes, murders, ransom, booth looting during all elections, protests, strikes which were hardly reported. The media was not given the freedom and the reporters lived under fear.
Bengal under AITC
Mamata Banerjee emerged as a strong protestor of the then CPI(M) government and led the fight from the street. Sooner she gained popularity and many CPI(M) workers started joining her. She gained popularity from the Singur case that was another major setback for the state from industrial point of view. The roll back of the Tata’s NANO plant from the state ensured the tag of being the state of protests. It sent out a strong message amongst the industrialists that the state does not want development.
The worst part is the double game played by Mamata Banerjee on her part. The protest led her to become the chief minister of the state and after coming to power her initiatives like Bengal Summit has been a big failure. “Bengal Means Development” has been a big mockery amongst the industrialists and as on now, no big houses are seen interested in investing in the state.
Like CPI(M), the AITC too added to its crown the tag of a party where goons and murderers are given shelter. There were a greater number of cases of extortions, ransoms, rapes, murders, scams, frauds and what not. Bengal has become the perfect example of the old proverb- “Do not Judge a Book by its Cover”. Though portrayed beautifully to the external world, there is a big hollow that needs to be understood by the people.
What People of Bengal Needs to think?
People of Bengal has to go a long way and understand what transformation and development is all about. They need to look out at other states where development is in progress. People of Bengal need to rethink who all are responsible for the complete breakdown of the administrative system by establishing a successful comparative study.