Not only the Indian state of Bengal, but the entire of India as well is in the midst of a new controversy – a unique phenomenon that was absent across the country till the other day and it’s of a famed Bangladeshi actor named Firdaus taking part in Trinamool Congress’ electoral campaign for Sri Kananilal Agarwal, the party candidate, at Raigunj. The uncanny approach of Trinamool Congress, to some quite unbelievable as well, has raised eyebrows at several quarters while if the social media updates are to be counted on, has earned flak from Bangladeshis too. The actor is being pounded yet though Firdaus, as expected, has expressed his naivety in the entire episode. Launching its vehement opposition to the same development the state unit of the Bhratiya Janata Party had swung into action without delay and it has been learnt that the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, has asked the actor to leave India with immediate effect. Apart from cancellation of his visa, the actor has been blacklisted as well. And thus the fiery, electoral atmosphere of Bengal has earned new heights to be followed by mutual accusations in the weeks to come. Where is Firdaus and whether he has reached Dhaka by now is yet to be known.
To many, the entire episode that started with a bang (with lots of promises ranging from verbal accusations to street clashes even) lost midway and hence, has ended with a mere whimper. It has also been learnt that the BJP state unit has termed this as fallout of a grave conspiracy between the Trinamool Congress and Jaamat-e-Islami. There is a dotty expectation that politicians would never lose such a brilliant position to score. What’s more, Sri Kanailal Agarwal, the Trinamool Congress candidate, whose candidacy did include the famed and immensely controversial (for the moment) Firdaus, has expressed innocence citing his own absence at the podium.
So should we conclude here? Or is there anything left?
Well, we do refuse to take it as so simple or as an act of inadvertency. Why? Here comes the reason. To be precise, the Raiganj Lok Sabha constituency is positioned in the district of North Dinajpur of Bengal, infamous for loads of factors. The Lok Sabha constituency is divided into 7 assembly constituencies namely, Islampur, Goalpakhor, Chakulia, Karandighi, Hematabad (SC), Kaliaganj (SC) and Raiganj. Of all these, Islampur deserves special mention for the moment. It is the home to the school at Darivit that had hit headlines only a year ago when two youths were shot dead in broad daylight for protesting against imposition of Urdu language in a Bengali medium school. The incident had not only brought forth the simmering communal troubles in this proclaimed Muslim-majority district of Bengal but the terrible religious polarization across the state too. While the Hindu Nationalist organizations had stood firm against this heinous design and launched vigorous mass struggles with Sri Debjit Sarkar, reining president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha’s Bengal unit both tortured and languished in the police custody for week, Lefts and secularists preferred to stay silent. Well, CPIM, to have the mileage of people’s burgeoning anguishes, entered the fray at last but without much success.
Is this the sole factor? An answer to this tricky question is straight no since umpteen intricacies are being perceived with each day it passes. North Dinajpur happens to be a proclaimed Hindu-minority or Muslim-majority district with the other two being Maldaha and Murshidabad (based on Census Report of 2011) while to many witnesses and fact-finding reports many others are moving to such a impasse steadily, primarily the two districts of North and South 24 Paraganas. And the sole factor being unbridled infiltration from the neighboring country of Bangladesh. An assortment of reports do reveal how the demographic changes are casting on each and every vicinity of the state day in and day out. It must be remembered at the same time, the state of West Bengal was carved out from the Pakistani yoke with the dream of retaining Calcutta as its financial capital on June 20, 1947 after a dreadful fight in the streets. The one and only aim of opting for West Bengal was to render a safe haven for Hindus in particular, braving the same fate after seven decades and once more.
So, it’s a time to concentrate on the ongoing demographic disasters once more. Surely, all these would invigorate a serious reader to contemplate and come out with a single question – what’s the reason behind this stoic silence? Consecutive reports do suggest – in the decade of 1981-1991 Bengal’s borders were virtually kept open to gratify CPIM-led Left Front’s sprouting aspirations. The moment it had been revealed how Lefts were on decline in the Hindu bastions across the state, millions of Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators were welcomed and also rendered land across the state to settle and vote only for Lefts. When Congress is at the centre who would Lefts be afraid of? This cudgel of responsibility has been appropriated by the Trinamool Congress by now and the wound has turned into gangrene thus.
Let’s focus on a few other pertinent factors. Despite the absence of heydays of Hindu Nationalist school of thought, the issue of Muslim infiltration from Bangladesh was taken to the streets by a host of Hindu refugee organizations. Being compelled by the same, Shri Jyoti Basu, erstwhile Chief Minister of West Bengal and whose government was responsible for this invasion to begin with, penned an article on October 11, 1992 in Ganashakti, Bengali daily of CPIM, “ …From 1979 the Muslims are also coming to India. Between 1977 to 1992, BSF has identified and pushed back 2,35,529 Bangladeshi infiltrators. Amongst them 68472 were Hindus and 1,64,132 were Muslims. At the same time between 1977 to 1992, Mobile task Force has pushed back 2,16, 985 Bangladeshi infiltrators. Amongst them 56342 were Hindus and 1,69,795 are Muslims.*
Therefore, in a span of 15 years about 4.5 lakhs of infiltrators were pushed back and 73% of them were Muslims. If we consider that only 30% of the infiltrators are caught, then this itself is enough to quantify the problem of Muslim infiltration in West Bengal. The communist patriarch didn’t utter a single word anymore ever. Now, Trinamool is at the helm of affairs in Bengal, confident enough to turn West Bengal to West Bangladesh. Firdaus is a mere tool only to embolden its communal or pro-Muslim standpoint in a turbulent Loksabha constituency of Raigunj.