One river, one party, two brands of politics

The Ganga, after entering Bengal from Bihar, divides not just the districts of Malda and Murshidabad, but it also demarcates two opposite brands of political thoughts.

The Ganga, after entering West Bengal from Bihar, divides not just the districts of Malda and Murshidabad, but it also demarcates two opposite brands of political philosophies.

The proponents of the two brands are, however, leaders of the same political party — the Congress. In the northern bank, political activity is sedate, placid and, mostly, honourable.

Across the river, the party’s activists and leaders are aggressive and, more often than not, fight pitched battles with the Leftists. In Malda, the Congress and the Left — primarily the CPI(M) — thrive in a state of peaceful co-existence. Campaigning for elections do not generate much heat and dust. Political leaders of all hues are civil to each other and, in many cases, share close personal rapport. Malda’s monarch — Abu Barkat Ataul Ghani Khan Chowdhury — is a respected figure and even his bitterest critics have kind words for him.

The scene is the exact opposite in Murshidabad. Behrampore’s badshah — Adhir Choudhury — leads a fierce onslaught on his Leftist foes. Unlike the monarch across the river, Adhir is a controversial figure with an alleged murky past. The CPI(M) and other parties, who have no love lost for him, accuse him of crimes ranging from murder and kidnapping to extortion and running a parallel administration through his henchmen. While Ghani Khan hails from a family of landed aristocrats and is considered a patriarch of the district, Adhir, a school dropout who joined the Naxalite movement and spent many years behind bars, hails from a lower middle class family and is looked upon as an upstart.

Political analysts feel the differences between the two brands of politics stem from the fact that Malda was never a Left bastion like Murshidabad. Ghani Khan has, thus, had a smooth sailing. In contrast, Adhir has had to fight fiercely for every inch of political space and is still doing so. In fact, the fight has got more acrimonious and furious now. Adhir has had to uproot the Left from its strongholds; the Congress has always been a strong force in Malda.

To a certain degree, things were quite the same in Murshidabad as they were in Malda. The Congress in Murshidabad, under the leadership of Atish Sinha — the MLA from Kandi — never posed much of a challenge to the Left. Atish, another landed aristocrat, was quite like Ghani Khan. Till Adhir came along in 1991 and changed the rules of the game.

Adhir admits his brand of politics is different. “Atishbabu and Barkatda believe in homoeopathy. I believe in allopathy, and that too very strong doses,” he says. “If the CPI(M) is to be uprooted, one has to employ the same tactics they do. One cannot shy away from this and pretend to fight the CPI(M) honourably. Leftists cannot be fought honourably. I have fought them and built up a formidable organisation from the grassroots level. That’s why I am able to pose a threat to the CPI(M). Barkatda or Atishbabu do not,” he explains. He, however, denies breaking the law.

The contrast is evident in the run-up to the ensuing polls. Electioneering is reaching a feverish pitch in Murshidabad, with minor skirmishes between Congress and CPI(M) workers reported nearly every other day. Adhir lambastes the CPI(M) in the strongest possible terms from every platform. The Left responds in equal measure.

In Malda, electioneering is low-key. Ghani Khan hardly ever campaigns and when he does, his speeches are limited to a few words. His rivals never attack him. It’s, thus, “live and let live” in Malda and “do or die” in Murshidabad.