The polarization is complete. Not all Pro-Changers are supporters of the Trinamool Congress. Many of them do not know what programme of re-building Bengal the Trinamool has if it comes to power. They are not even bothered about what type of Government Mamata Banerjee will give the people of Bengal. Are they sure it will be a better Government than the Left Front’s? The answer is a one-liner: “Things can’t get worse than what they are today” (under the Left Front rule).

It is also clear that the CPI-M’s sustained high-voltage propaganda campaign against the Trinamool Congress for the last couple of years that the latter has a secret nexus with the Maoists, with the Gorkha Janamukti Parishad which demands a separate Gorkhaland and with the “imperialists” who, according to Left Front chairman Biman Bose, had a hand in the movement against the proposed Tata small car factory at Singur, has cut no ice with the “pro-change” electorate. Nor has the propaganda that by forcing the Tatas to abandon the Singur project, Mamata Banerjee slammed the door on industrialization of West Bengal for ever.

In fact this last accusation of the CPI-M stands refuted by no less a person than Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee himself. A few days ago, in an interview, he specifically mentioned Singur and said that despite Singur “We have turned round and fresh investments of thousands of crores of rupees have come to the State,” There is more. Mamata Banerjee was dubbed anti-development and anti-industry when she opposed forcible eviction of peasants from multi-crop lands and handing over such land to industrialists for a song. “No eviction of peasants and no forcible acquisition of land by the Government”, she declared. If industrialists want to set up plants, she wanted them to buy land directly from the landowners. She was not against industrialization per se.

Ironically, Bhattacharjee has echoed the same sentiments recently. He has assured the people that the Government would not in future touch fertile farm lands for setting up industries. Those interested in buying land should directly negotiate with the land-owners. The Government would think of acquiring land for industries only as a last resort. This is no different from the stand taken by Banerjee. Interestingly, Industries Minister Nirupam Sen and Housing Minister Gautam Deb have publicly opposed Bhattacharjee’s stand and insisted that acquisition of land by government is a must.

In its poll manifesto, the Trinamool Congress has stated that it will follow a “three-pronged strategy” to “revive Bengal’s industrial glory”. The first is to develop micro, small and medium industries; the second is to “re-start and re-model” closed PSUs; and the third is to “attract large private investments” in engineering, steel, tea, jute, textiles, mining, power and manufacturing”.

By and large this is also what the Left Front manifesto says. The LF promises to increase the income of BPL people, raise the income of 40 lakh families, power to every household, generating 4000 MW of power and enacting a public health law to ensure free treatment and prevention of common and life-threatening diseases.

But neither the TMC nor the LF manifesto spells out how the resources for such an ambitious programme of regeneration will come from in a state which has a debt burden of Rs. 1.92 lakh crores. (Mamata Banerjee recently claimed it has now risen to Rs. 2.08 lakh crores.) The TMC manifesto admits that there is “total financial bankruptcy” and restoration of State finances is a “major challenge” ahead. To meet the challenge “We will have to raise additional resources”, that is, go in for fresh taxation.

But the electorate does not seem concerned with the promises being made by the two sides and the possibility of their being realized. The average voter’s concern is whether there will be a change or not. The CPI-M’s abusive propaganda, personally attacking Banerjee, seems to have harmed rather than helped the party. Its democratic credentials have become suspect, especially since 2007 when the LF Government went in for suppressing the land agitations at Singur and Nandigram in a ham-handed way.

Speeches made by CPI-M leaders and ministers have done little to dispel the image that it has scant respect for public opinion. Housing minister Gautam Deb has threatened that if the Trinamool Congress did win the elections, the Left Front might give a “Bengal Bandh” call on the swearing in day of the new Government to prevent it from taking the oath of office. A bandh will certainly not prevent the swearing in. But the threat of a bandh betrays a contempt for the people’s verdict on the part of a party which swears by and works within the framework of our democratic Constitution.

In the final analysis, this is the issue on which Bengal’s electorate will give their verdict in the coming Assembly polls. (IPA Service)