Suchergebnisse

Notes on Contributors; 1 Introduction Rakhahari Chatterji ; I: Politics and Parties ; 2 The Left Front in West Bengal: From Movement to Government Apurba Mukhopadhyay and Partha Pratim Basu 3 The Left Extremist Politics in West Bengal: from Birth to Resurrection and Beyond Amitabha Ray 4 The Left Front and The Politics of Regionalism in West Bengal Shibashis Chatterjee ; II: Politics and Policies ; 5 Governing Urban West Bengal: The Left Front Experiment Ambarish Mukhopadhyay 6 Industry in West Bengal during the Left Front Regime Srikumar Bandyopadhyay and Partha Pratim Basu 7 Agriculture under the Left Front Regime in West Bengal Partha Pratim Basu 8 Lost Decades? Human Development in West Bengal with Special Focus on Health Satyabrata Chakraborty 9 Elementary Education in West Bengal: Issues in Governance and Political Economy Achin Chakraborty ; III: Politics and Society ; 10 The Caste Question and Decline of The Left in West Bengal Praskanva Sinharay 11 Muslims, Christians and The Left in Bengal Bonita Aleaz 12 Women/Community and Politics in West Bengal Bandana Chatterji 13 Ganashakti 'The enormous pair of bellows': Tracing the History of the Party Organ Nilanjana Gupta 14 Civil Social Initiatives in West Bengal Amartya Mukhopadhyay ; 15 Epilogue Rakhahari Chatterji ; Index

In the wake of the enormous interest across the globe in the fall of the Left Front in West Bengal, this book describes the Left era as one of passive revolution: limited reforms and changes, big compromises, corruption of the commissars and the failure of the Left in assessing popular discontent and anger; thus, it is the end of revolution even in passive form. A collection of articles by Samaddar from leading national dailies and journals between 1977 and the downfall of the Left in West Bengal, this books analyses the era of the Left rule, its political decisions and its social

Hindu nationalists made migration from Bangladesh an election campaign in West Bengal during the 1990s. Although there were various allegations against Bangladeshi migration, it never became a mainstream political issue in the state, like in neighbouring Assam. West Bengal shares the longest border with Bangladesh, compared to any other Indian state, and hosts a large number of Bangladeshi migrants, according to the Census reports in India. West Bengal and Bangladesh share a common ethnicity, both are predominantly Bengali. Can this shared Bengaliness explain why Bangladeshi migration did not become a divisive political issue in the state? If this sameness is a bonding factor, what about the Ghoti-Bangal differences? Drawn from in-depth interviews with the representatives of West Bengal's key civil society organisations and political parties, I argue that a particular historical and cultural process, unique to West Bengal and Bangladesh, has shaped the current attitude towards Bangladeshi migrants in the state.

Hindu nationalists made migration from Bangladesh an election campaign in West Bengal during the 1990s. Although there were various allegations against Bangladeshi migration, it never became a mainstream political issue in the state, like in neighbouring Assam. West Bengal shares the longest border with Bangladesh, compared to any other Indian state, and hosts a large number of Bangladeshi migrants, according to the Census reports in India. West Bengal and Bangladesh share a common ethnicity, both are predominantly Bengali. Can this shared Bengaliness explain why Bangladeshi migration did not become a divisive political issue in the state? If this sameness is a bonding factor, what about the Ghoti-Bangal differences? Drawn from in-depth interviews with the representatives of West Bengal's key civil society organisations and political parties, I argue that a particular historical and cultural process, unique to West Bengal and Bangladesh, has shaped the current attitude towards Bangladeshi migrants in the state.

THE GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL HAS CREATED THREE NEW INSTITUTIONS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY OF THE MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION: THE CENTRAL VALUATION BOARD, THE DIRECTORATE OF LOCAL BODIES (AND DIRECTORATE OF MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING), AND THE INSTITUTE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND URBAN STUDIES. IN THIS ESSAY, THE AUTHOR LOOKS AT THESE NEW INSTITUTIONS AND THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THEM.

The essay calls for a re-imagining and reshaping of colonial constructs. It concisely encapsulates the history of the Grand Trunk Road (GT Road), from the 16th century when it was referred to as 'Sadak-e-Azam' to the late 19th century, when the road was completed under the administration of Lord William Bentinck and was renamed as 'The Grand Trunk Road' to contemporary times when it connects multiple cities with National Highways as part of the Golden Quadrilateral project and remains a 'continuum' that covers a distance of over 2,500 kilometres. While highlighting its importance in terms of its criticality as a geopolitical/strategic connect, the essay concludes on the note that there is much more to the GT Road than being a mere logistical, infrastructural tool. It serves as a political and cultural connect as well as embodies a way of life and these historic and organic connections require reinforcement. The essay underlines the symbolic value of the GT Road, while it comprises the mainstay of commerce in the subcontinent but, at the same time is significant in terms of rearranging social and political hierarchies, in other words, it constitutes an intrinsic part of the broader narrative of the south Asian space.