west bengal

The blueprint for the joint security operations in the naxal-affected States will be chalked out soon by senior officials of the West Bengal government in consultation with officials of Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa.

I see a lot of headlines about this.  Where are the headlines about joint collaboration on economic regional planning or social regional planning?  Is it the media not writing about it or is it simply not happening to the extent that it should?

Don't know enough history to say anything particularly profound or revealing, but the death of Basu brings to mind the fractured state of electoralish politics in West Bengal.  It has three political forces that make the news - the CPI(M), the Trinamool Congress, and 'the Maoists.'  Next year's election for the state legislature will be an interesting one, and, from what I am told, a lot of people will suffer in the meantime.

Tehelka offers an in depth look with multiple perspectives on the state violence in Lalgarh, West Bengal, and its implications.  Among the most disturbing aspects of what they write about is how the release of anyone remotely accused of Maoism, whether or not there is any truth to the notion, is increasingly politically verboten.  Coming on the heels of the much belated release of Binayak Sen and the announcement of a very large escalation of the Indian government's attempts to eliminate 'Maoism', it seems to me that the silent war on the poor and disempowered has shifte

Sanhati Statement on arrest of activists involved with the Lalgarh movement (6 October 2009):