Mainstream Weekly

Vote-fraud

Sunanda Sanyal — 2014-08-02T07:54:48Z

This article is essentially a commoner's view —one who lacks specialist knowledge of Political Science, understands what works for him, and what doesn't. The relationship between a politician and a commoner should be give and take. That must be the criterion of judgment, the commoner feels. Much as he admires the politicians who, sitting in TV channels, parry questions, he wants voting to be peaceful, for he cares about his safety. A commoner wants no booth jams, no motorbike brigade; no (…)

- 2014

Civil Society

Sunanda Sanyal — 2014-05-05T12:07:31Z

I have lately realised that we should be no political party's vote-bank. This is as bad as ballot-rigging. In order to come to power all
existing parties take recourse to ballot-rigging. Ballot-rigging assumes different forms. To begin with, hordes of goondas, astride motorbikes, frighten genuine voters. Goondas jam up booths so that the queues of men and women can't move. They spend millions of rupees to bribe voters.
The CPI-M, for example, had tried out bribes, in the last (…)

- 2014

Trading Cattle to Bangladesh

Sunanda Sanyal — 2014-02-17T16:46:58Z

Bengali society is at risk today, thanks to the political parties. I will discuss one of the issues which devalues democracy. The Statesman has reported a number of times about cattle theft to Bangladesh. I have seen it myself at Ghojadanga, off the border on Bangladesh, very close to Basirhat. Headlights are tied to lamp posts to prevent cattle theft. But according to Haji Nurul Islam, a Trinamul MLA, cattle theft occurred at the Bangladesh border on our Republic Day. The CPI-M-led Left (…)

- 2014

Deterrence, CPM-Style

Sunanda Sanyal — 2008-05-08T23:29:52Z

Not much evidence remains of the alleged gangrape of Ms Radharani Ari because of the time lost in prosecuting the case. Still there should be an investigation into what happened and why no enquiry has been held. The appropriate authorities are the National Commission for Women and National Human Rights Commission.
The woman herself asks the Chief Minister of West Bengal: “How many times will your cadres rape me? The CPI-M men entered my house at about 2 pm (on April 14). I knew them. (…)

- May 3, 2008

In the Wake of Nandigram

Sunanda Sanyal — 2007-12-25T22:12:59Z

The International Women's Film Festival was to have been inaugurated by Aparna Sen, the well-known actor and film director, at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Council in Salt Lake City, West Bengal. But Subhas Chakrabarty, the State Transport Minister, said the organisers would be well-advised to sign her out and let Anindita Sarbadhikari stand in for her. Anindita is close to Alimuddin Street, the State headquarters of the CPI-M. Aparna, on the other hand, had fallen out with the party the (…)

- December 22, 2007 - Annual Number 2007