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‘Hindus will suffer more': BJP's ‘Bangladeshi' politics could alienate its refugee vote in Bengal
‘Hindus will suffer more': BJP's ‘Bangladeshi' politics could alienate its refugee vote in Bengal

Scroll.in

time2 hours ago

  • Politics
  • Scroll.in

‘Hindus will suffer more': BJP's ‘Bangladeshi' politics could alienate its refugee vote in Bengal

'I have decided that I will now speak in Bangla even more frequently,' Mamata Banerjee declared at a Trinamool Congress protest in Kolkata on Wednesday. 'I dare you to put me in a detention centre before arresting any other Bengali speakers.' The three-term chief minister's words were directed at the Bharatiya Janata Party, her principal political opponent in West Bengal. Banerjee rattled off a list of incidents from Maharashtra, Delhi and Chhattisgarh to claim that nearly 1,000 Bengalis were detained in BJP-ruled states under allegations that they were Bangladeshi citizens. She also highlighted BJP demands for a Bihar-style special intensive revision to remove so-called Bangladeshi voters from Bengal's electoral rolls. Banerjee's statements made it clear that the Trinamool will counter the BJP's citizenship politics by mounting a charged campaign to try and portray the BJP as 'anti-Bengali'. Notably, Trinamool Congress has focussed its messaging on Hindu refugee groups residing in West Bengal, such as Matuas and Rajbanshis, who have, of late, strongly supported the BJP. On Thursday, it flagged the arrest of five Matuas in Pune, Maharashtra. Earlier, on July 8, Banerjee had herself taken up the case of a Rajbanshi man, who was allegedly being harassed by Assam officials. Both Maharashtra and Assam are currently governed by the BJP. Analysts and politicians – including those from the Bengal BJP – told Scroll that the Trinamool's anti-Bengali charge could make things difficult for the saffron party. Bengalis are being detained, branded as 'outsiders', and even deported while carrying valid documents in hand. From NRC notices to map erasure, the attacks aren't random, they're deliberate. It's time we connect the dots. Watch this and understand what's at stake. — All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) July 17, 2025 A voter roll revision in Bengal? Rahul Sinha, a senior member of the BJP's state executive in West Bengal, said that Mamata Banerjee had come out so strongly because her 'core voter' was under threat. 'There are one crore Bangladeshis registered as voters here,' he alleged, echoing similar claims made by West Bengal's Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. 'Mamata Banerjee is doing nothing to identify them, that is why other states have to take such steps.' When asked if the expulsion drive could push Bengali Muslims further towards Trinamool Congress, Sinha added: 'We don't care about Muslims because we know they will not vote for us. We just have to ensure that Hindus are not affected.' He demanded a revision of West Bengal's voter lists along the lines of the ongoing exercise in Bihar. 'If the names of 10%-15% Bangladeshi Muslims are deleted from the voter list, Mamata's reign will end,' Sinha said. 'The more her voters are removed, the fewer additional votes we will need.' He is not alone. Many top BJP politicians from West Bengal have made the same demand. Sinha dismissed Trinamool's outreach to Hindu refugee groups as fear - mongering and said his party would counter it by telling Hindu voters that only Bangladeshi Muslims were being deported. 'Hindus will suffer more' However, not all BJP leaders in Bengal are as confident as Sinha. A member of the party's state executive told Scroll that voter list revision based on verifying citizenship would affect the party adversely. 'Not only the Muslims, Hindus will suffer more,' he said, requesting anonymity to discuss the issue candidly. 'Hindus born after 1987 will also have to show that their parents were from here. They may all be Bangladeshi Hindus who came after 1970. If they are not allowed to vote, BJP will lose in West Bengal.' The Citizenship Act recognises those born between July 1, 1987 and December 3, 2004 as Indian citizens by birth only if one of their parents was also a citizen of the country at that time. For those born after December 3, 2004, the law requires both parents to be Indian citizens. West Bengal, like other Indian states bordering Bangladesh, saw successive waves of refugees coming in both before and after the 1971 war. The stipulations of the citizenship act, therefore, have long been a sore point for Bengali Hindu refugee communities. The Modi government introduced an amendment in 2019 to remedy this grievance by creating a pathway to citizenship for non-Muslim refugees even if they had entered India illegally. But it dragged its feet on implementing the policy for over four years. When it did finally roll out the rules for people to apply, the process turned out to be a 'mess', according to the BJP leader quoted earlier. 'Many people are confused because they submitted a lot of documents but they have not got citizenship,' said a BJP MLA from North Bengal, who also requested not to be named. 'There are many Hindus who have been here for a long time. Despite being an MLA, I don't clearly know what I can do to help them.' Given this backdrop, he worried that Trinamool would convince many voters that all refugees, and not just Muslims, were at risk. 'There are many people from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes living in this region,' the BJP MLA added. 'Most of them came from East Bengal [now Bangladesh]. Trinamool is able to generate fear in their minds easily. We are trying to convince them but they are not fully satisfied with what we say.' Mukut Mani Adhikari, a prominent Matua leader who left BJP to join Trinamool in 2024, said this was because refugees had lost trust in the saffron party. Describing Matuas, Rajbanshis and other refugee communities as the party's backbone in the state, he decried it for supposedly betraying them. 'It is very unfortunate that BJP has plotted this scheme to snatch away the citizenship of those who formed its foundations in West Bengal,' the Ranaghat MLA said. 'Whether it be the Citizenship Amendment Act or the attacks on Bengalis across the country, Mamata Banerjee is the only one who is fighting for them.' Don't you DARE call it an 'assessment' or 'verification' @BJP4India. This is a full-blown, targeted ASSAULT on Bengali-speaking Indians. You hate us because we come from a state that has rejected your filthy, divisive politics time and again. 5 innocent BENGALI-SPEAKING HINDUS… — All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) July 17, 2025 Bengali identity politics Dwaipayan Bhattacharyya, professor at the Centre for Political Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University, was also skeptical of the efficacy of the BJP's Bengal strategy. The saffron party's indifference to Muslims, who make up about 30% of the vote in the state, means that it would have to get more than half of the Hindu vote to win, he estimated. That would be difficult, Bhattacharyya explained, because Mamata Banerjee's careful calibration of identity politics has boxed the BJP in. 'By building a Jagannath temple, raising a distinctly Bengali Hindu voice – invoking the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh and Bengali migrants elsewhere – she has blunted the BJP's usual narrative,' he said. 'It's no longer easy to paint her as anti-Hindu or blindly pro-Muslim.' The Jagannath temple he mentioned is located in Digha, a beach town in West Bengal, and was inaugurated on April 30 by the chief minister herself. The state government's decision to bear the cost of its construction had led to controversy at the time. Trinamool Congress has repeatedly used the temple as a means to woo Hindu Bengali voters since its doors opened for worshippers. It even distributed prasad to households across the state in June, imitating a Hindutva practice that came to light in the run-up to the Ram temple inauguration in Ayodhya last January. The Trinamool's emphasis on Bengali identity as a way to counter the BJP's Bangladeshi labelling will likely work because it has managed to present itself as the natural party of Bengalis, explained Kolkata-based political scientist Maidul Islam. Its particular form of Bengali assertion, he said, had found resonance in the state's villages and small towns. 'The conditions for this kind of identity assertion were always there but the communists [who ruled the state from 1977-2011] balanced regional identity with class politics,' Islam contended. Mamata Banerjee, on the other hand, has freely used Bengali cultural pride to further her politics, he said. 'She started the Durga Puja carnival on Kolkata's Red Road,' Islam added. 'Many Trinamool leaders come from Puja committees. So the campaign to show Mamata as anti-Hindu may have some audience in Northern and Western India but it doesn't have any takers in Bengal.' Smt. @MamataOfficial graced the 2024 Durga Pujo Carnival at Red Road, celebrating the grand immersion procession with thousands of people. The carnival marked the culmination of celebrations, with the people of Bengal already looking forward to Maa Durga's return next year. — All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) October 15, 2024 Identity versus anti-incumbency However, Mohammed Salim, West Bengal secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), questioned how effective the Trinamool's Bengali identity push could be in the face of rising anti-incumbency. The outrage from Mamata Banerjee over Assam officials allegedly harassing a Rajabanshi was ironic, he argued, since it was her police which went to his doorstep six months earlier. 'She is playing to the gallery now,' Salim said. 'This is an emotive issue. Anti-incumbency is so high here that if people talk about day-to-day issues such as women's safety, education and health, Trinamool will be at the receiving end of public anger. They want to avoid that.'

Like CPM, BJP bars people from voting: Mamata
Like CPM, BJP bars people from voting: Mamata

Time of India

time9 hours ago

  • Politics
  • Time of India

Like CPM, BJP bars people from voting: Mamata

Kolkata: Like in the past, now did not let anyone vote, CM on Sunday, on the eve of the Martyrs' Day rally. While Banerjee did not explicitly refer to EC's special intensive revision in Bihar, she criticised "torture" of Bengali-speakers in BJP-governed states. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Addressing Trinamool netas and workers at Esplanade, Banerjee said: "The democracy that you see in Bengal today did not exist earlier. In Kolkata, all buildings were shut during CPM's tenure so that people were unable to vote. We held a massive protest. CPM did not have the power to stop us, so they opened fire. Thirteen people died, and over 200 were injured." The CM added: "The demand was simple — no ID card, no vote. Based on the report of an observer who was sent here, this 'no ID, no vote' rule was implemented, and people got back their right to vote. We struggled a lot for that." "In 'double-engine' states, BJP does not allow people to vote. As for CPM, we have already exposed and defeated them. Yet, they are still making big speeches on social media," she said. On Bengali-speaking migrants in other states being labelled 'Bangladeshi', the CM said: "They torture people from Bengal just for speaking in Bengali. We respect people of all states." Questioning opposition to the July 21 rally, Banerjee said: "For 33 years, we have been holding this programme here because many people sacrificed their lives at this very place. We organise this one event here each year. Even that bothers some people. What happens to their concerns when they hold Nabanna Abhiyan without police permission?" Large posters of the CM were put up across roads leading to Victoria House, and gates constructed on the way to Esplanade. Cameras fixed below the dais captured footage of supporters arriving. Trinamool netas from districts started dropping in by the afternoon. Banerjee came to the venue around 6pm, and the crowd started shouting "Didi, Didi". She waved as 'Joy Bangla' slogans filled the air and shook hands with a few supporters. The 100-metre stretch on Central Avenue from Dorina crossing to Chandni Chowk metro station was dotted with FAM4TMC members dressed in yellow T-shirts and caps carrying posters and flags demanding a PM from Bengal. They raised the slogan 'Bolchhe Banglar Janata, Pradhanmantri Mamata' while streaming live on social media.

Tortured migrants to be at forefront of Trinamool rally
Tortured migrants to be at forefront of Trinamool rally

Time of India

time15 hours ago

  • Politics
  • Time of India

Tortured migrants to be at forefront of Trinamool rally

1 2 3 4 5 6 Kolkata: Uttam Brajabashi, the 50-year-old Rajbongshi from Cooch Behar's Dinhata, arrived at Sealdah station on Sunday morning to be a part of Trinamool Congress's Martyrs' Day rally. With several hundred party supporters backing him, the soft-spoken Brajabashi questioned why, having spent his lifetime in Cooch Behar, he was slapped with an NRC notice by an Assam Foreigners Tribunal, accusing him of illegally entering India from Bangladesh even before he was born. Later, speaking to reporters, Brajabashi said, "I have never been to Assam. I was born in 1975, and my age is now 50. I do not have any birth certificate. I went to Guwahati with a lawyer to attend the foreigners tribunal meeting. I have spoken to a Trinamool neta who said that they were behind me to give me support." Like Brajabashi, several migrants who worked in other states also started reaching Kolkata to attend the Trinamool rally. These people, mostly from Malda and Murshidabad, who are now in Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra and Gitanjali Stadium, may have otherwise chosen to stay back home, but the issue of Bengali-speaking migrants being harassed in other states brought them to Kolkata. They said they wanted to hear out CM Mamata Banerjee on this. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Couple Wonders Why Their Photo Went Viral Till They Go Through The Comments Learn More Undo You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata At Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra, Tanbir Alam from Malda said his maternal uncle, who is working in Jaipur right now, faced problems as police asked him to show evidence that he is Indian. "On Saturday, he called us saying that the police asked them to show their citizenship card. He was clueless and showed his Aadhaar card, but it was not accepted. Now he has asked for help so that he could get a certificate from the local police station to show as evidence. " He stated that an initiative has been taken up for preparing specific cards that could be used as evidence. Shakil Sheikh, who works as a construction labourer in Delhi, said, "We haven't faced any harassment yet, but that doesn't mean that I will be safe in the future. I have all the identity proofs like those who are being harassed for speaking Bengali and being tagged as Bangladeshi. My question is how do I prove that I am an Indian citizen if my valid identities are being challenged in other states? We are poor villagers who work as migrant labourers in other states to earn money. " Abdul Zalil, who is a student and whose family members travel to other states to earn money, said, "We are citizens of this country. We learned since our childhood that we are together and that different castes, creeds, and religions stay together, so why this discrimination? Why is a section trying to divide us based only on religious identities and mother tongue? The CM has already taken this matter seriously, and we are waiting to hear her address. " At Gitanjali Stadium, Malda's Manirul Sk said, "I go to various places, including Jaipur and Delhi, where I work in sewing, but the recent incidents faced by several migrant labourers are very scary. I appeal to Didi to do something so that we can move to any part of the country and work freely without fear." Sundor Bhuiya from Malda, who works as a construction labourer in Delhi, expressed his concern if he could go there without fear in future. "Many from our district travel to Delhi and other parts of the country as construction labourers. We want Didi to take action so that we do not face such harassment again."

How Trinamool Congress keeps a tight grip on colleges in West Bengal
How Trinamool Congress keeps a tight grip on colleges in West Bengal

Indian Express

time15 hours ago

  • Politics
  • Indian Express

How Trinamool Congress keeps a tight grip on colleges in West Bengal

The alleged rape of a student at a law college in Kolkata last month brought into focus a well-known West Bengal secret: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders' control of colleges in the state, largely through their governing bodies (GBs). In his latest visit to the state, which goes to the polls next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday raised 'the state of the education sector' in Bengal, specifically the school jobs scam. 'What is happening in West Bengal is worrying. Be it primary education or higher education, the situation is the same everywhere. Thousands of teachers have lost their jobs because of grassroots corruption … Trinamool has put both the present and future of Bengal in crisis,' he said at a rally in Durgapur in Paschim Bardhaman district. The Indian Express looked at several colleges in and around Kolkata, some of which are affiliated to the University of Calcutta (CU), where TMC leaders wield influence in the governing bodies. Following the case of alleged rape at the law college, it emerged that the main accused, Monojit Mishra, is a member of the TMC's student wing Trinamool Chhatra Parishad and was appointed a 'casual' clerical staffer after he graduated. A TMC MLA heads the college's governing body. Some MLAs and ministers, in fact, are the governing body presidents of multiple colleges. To questions about how this affects academic and administrative freedom in these institutions, the TMC points out that the appointments are well within the rules. The West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) Act, 2017, which sets out the rules on governing bodies, says in Article 5(3) that their tenure will be 'determined by the State Government from time to time'. As a result, many of these GBs have remained unchanged for over half a decade, with the government routinely extending their tenure every six months. The structure of these 10-member bodies is also such that it allows the government to stack them with people whom it either directly nominates or those who are closely linked to the TMC. Only four elected members make it to the governing bodies — three teachers and one non-teaching staff representative — and often, they too have links to the ruling party. Since student union elections have not been held in colleges for the past several years, the post of student representative continues to remain vacant. Some TMC leaders and the college governing bodies they are presidents of are: The Indian Express reached out to all of them but received no response. 'Principals are now sandwiched between politics and college administration. There is no freedom to work,' said a college principal who refused to be identified. A recurring complaint among principals is the lack of change in the governing bodies. 'The GB in my college was last officially formed in 2018. Every six months, the government sends an extension order,' said Dr Satya Upadhyay, principal of Calcutta Girls' College. However, he added, that despite TMC MP Haque heading the college governing body, he didn't face any pressure. 'We sometimes have differences of opinion, but we end up finding a solution. You cannot take politics out of campuses,' Upadhyay said. Last month, after the principal of Kolkata's Rani Birla Girls' College, Srabanti Bhatacharya, initiated the election of teaching and non-teaching staff representatives to the GB — which has been unchanged for seven years — a government nominee dropped in a day before voting was to take place. The election was subsequently cancelled, with Bhattacharya hospitalised on complaint of acute chest discomfort. In a letter, the faculty and other staff members alleged that the government nominee had put pressure on the principal to halt the election. 'Those who don't listen to orders face consequences. Many principals have been suspended because of differences. For instance, it happened in Purulia Raghunathpur College because the principal didn't listen to the GB,' claimed former All Bengal Principals' Council president and retired AJC Bose College principal Purna Chandra Maity. Alleged political interference in colleges also extends beyond GB appointments, with instances of former leaders and general secretaries of TMCP getting appointed to non-teaching positions. In one instance, a powerful TMCP leader became the head clerk at Ashutosh College and a former general secretary was appointed the college accountant, said a source. This shows an 'urgent need for comprehensive reforms to restore academic autonomy and ensure transparent, democratic governance in colleges', said a college principal, who did not wish to be identified. Another feature of the political limbo on college campuses is the absence of regular student union elections. 'Non-functional student unions give the TMCP all the advantage,' said a CU official. 'College authorities also treat the TMCP unit as the students' union. Every college used to have a separate fund for these unions, and that now goes to the outfit.' Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha state president Indranil Khan alleged that 'over-politicisation of campuses' by the TMC had 'ruined the academic atmosphere'. 'Such people control colleges, admissions, and examinations. They would never nominate a fair academic to the governing body, as then they will not be able to rig elections,' he said. CPI(M) student wing SFI's All India Joint Secretary Dipsita Dhar accused the TMC of running a monopoly in colleges. 'The whole idea of having a governing body without a student in it is antithetical to internal democracy. Sadly, in Bengal, colleges have turned into a source of income for the Trinamool nexus,' she said. The institutional control of universities and educational institutions, however, is not exclusive to the TMC years. It was a source of consternation for the middle classes during the three-decade Left rule, too. In Economic and Political Weekly in June 2011, economist Pranab Bardhan, analysing the fall of the CPI(M), mentioned its all-pervasive control of institutions, including colleges and universities, and the damage it caused. 'The appointments and promotions in colleges and universities, directly orchestrated from the party office in Alimuddin Street and screened for party loyalty, decimated Bengal's long-enjoyed advantage in academic, intellectual and professional pursuits,' he wrote. TMCP state president Trinankur Bhattacharya defended the extended term of the general bodies, saying it was within the rules. 'I do not understand the problem if the GB president is a political person and is efficient. For example, Dr Shashi Panja is so efficient. Also, not all college GBs are in the party's control,' he said.

Who is surprised by a Monojit Mishra? A look at Bengal colleges, governing bodies, and political control
Who is surprised by a Monojit Mishra? A look at Bengal colleges, governing bodies, and political control

Indian Express

timea day ago

  • Politics
  • Indian Express

Who is surprised by a Monojit Mishra? A look at Bengal colleges, governing bodies, and political control

The alleged rape of a student at a law college in Kolkata last month brought into focus a well-known West Bengal secret: the control by politicians of colleges in the state, largely through their governing bodies (GBs). In his latest visit to the state, which goes to the polls next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday raised 'the state of the education sector' in Bengal, specifically the school jobs scam. 'What is happening in West Bengal is worrying. Be it primary education or higher education, the situation is the same everywhere. Thousands of teachers have lost their jobs because of grassroots corruption … Trinamool has put both the present and future of Bengal in crisis,' he said at a rally in Durgapur in Paschim Bardhaman district. The Indian Express looked at several colleges in and around Kolkata, some of which are affiliated to the University of Calcutta (CU), where Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders wield influence in the governing bodies. Following the case of alleged rape at the law college, it emerged that the main accused, Monojit Mishra, is a member of the TMC's student wing Trinamool Chhatra Parishad and was appointed a 'casual' clerical staffer after he graduated. A TMC MLA heads the college's governing body. Some MLAs and ministers, in fact, are the governing body presidents of multiple colleges. To questions about how this affects academic and administrative freedom in these institutions, the TMC points out that the appointments are well within the rules. The West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) Act, 2017, which sets out the rules on governing bodies, says in Article 5(3) that their tenure will be 'determined by the State Government from time to time'. As a result, many of these GBs have remained unchanged for over half a decade, with the government routinely extending their tenure every six months. The structure of these 10-member bodies is also such that it allows the government to stack them with people whom it either directly nominates or those who are closely linked to the TMC. Only four elected members make it to the governing bodies — three teachers and one non-teaching staff representative — and often, they too have links to the ruling party. Since student union elections have not been held in colleges for the past several years, the post of student representative continues to remain vacant. Some TMC leaders and the college governing bodies they are presidents of are: . Ashok Kumar Deb, Budge Budge MLA: Bangabasi College, Acharya Girish Chandra Bose College, Budge Budge College, South Kolkata Law College, and Sarsuna College . Shashi Panja, Industry Minister: Maharaja Manindra Chandra College, Maharaja Srischandra College, Baghbazar Women's College, and Chittaranjan College . Chandrima Bhattacharya, Health Minister: Mrinalini Datta Mahavidyapith and Gopal Chandra Memorial College of Education . Sudip Banerjee, Kolkata North MP: Maulana Azad College and Seth Anandram Jaipuria College . Madan Mitra, Kamarhati MLA: Hiralal Mazumdar Memorial College for Women . Md Nadimul Haque, Rajya Sabha MP: Calcutta Girls' College The Indian Express reached out to all of them but received no response. 'Principals are now sandwiched between politics and college administration. There is no freedom to work,' said a college principal who refused to be identified. A recurring complaint among principals is the lack of change in the governing bodies. 'The GB in my college was last officially formed in 2018. Every six months, the government sends an extension order,' said Dr Satya Upadhyay, principal of Calcutta Girls' College. However, he added, that despite TMC MP Haque heading the college governing body, he didn't face any pressure. 'We sometimes have differences of opinion, but we end up finding a solution. You cannot take politics out of campuses,' Upadhyay said. Last month, after the principal of Kolkata's Rani Birla Girls' College, Srabanti Bhatacharya, initiated the election of teaching and non-teaching staff representatives to the GB — which has been unchanged for seven years — a government nominee dropped in a day before voting was to take place. The election was subsequently cancelled, with Bhattacharya hospitalised on complaint of acute chest discomfort. In a letter, the faculty and other staff members alleged that the government nominee had put pressure on the principal to halt the election. 'Those who don't listen to orders face consequences. Many principals have been suspended because of differences. For instance, it happened in Purulia Raghunathpur College because the principal didn't listen to the GB,' claimed former All Bengal Principals' Council president and retired AJC Bose College principal Purna Chandra Maity. Alleged political interference in colleges also extends beyond GB appointments, with instances of former leaders and general secretaries of TMCP getting appointed to non-teaching positions. In one instance, a powerful TMCP leader became the head clerk at Ashutosh College and a former general secretary was appointed the college accountant, said a source. This shows an 'urgent need for comprehensive reforms to restore academic autonomy and ensure transparent, democratic governance in colleges', said a college principal, who did not wish to be identified. Another feature of the political limbo on college campuses is the absence of regular student union elections. 'Non-functional student unions give the TMCP all the advantage,' said a CU official. 'College authorities also treat the TMCP unit as the students' union. Every college used to have a separate fund for these unions, and that now goes to the outfit.' Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha state president Indranil Khan alleged that 'over-politicisation of campuses' by the TMC had 'ruined the academic atmosphere'. 'Such people control colleges, admissions, and examinations. They would never nominate a fair academic to the governing body, as then they will not be able to rig elections,' he said. CPI(M) student wing SFI's All India Joint Secretary Dipsita Dhar accused the TMC of running a monopoly in colleges. 'The whole idea of having a governing body without a student in it is antithetical to internal democracy. Sadly, in Bengal, colleges have turned into a source of income for the Trinamool nexus,' she said. The institutional control of universities and educational institutions, however, is not exclusive to the TMC years. It was a source of consternation for the middle classes during the three-decade Left rule, too. In Economic and Political Weekly in June 2011, economist Pranab Bardhan, analysing the fall of the CPI(M), mentioned its all-pervasive control of institutions, including colleges and universities, and the damage it caused. 'The appointments and promotions in colleges and universities, directly orchestrated from the party office in Alimuddin Street and screened for party loyalty, decimated Bengal's long-enjoyed advantage in academic, intellectual and professional pursuits,' he wrote. TMCP state president Trinankur Bhattacharya defended the extended term of the general bodies, saying it was within the rules. 'I do not understand the problem if the GB president is a political person and is efficient. For example, Dr Shashi Panja is so efficient. Also, not all college GBs are in the party's control,' he said.

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