Prof Ramachandra Guha, the acclaimed historian and writer, on Wednesday accused both the Communist party and the Trinamool Congress for the lack of a strong civil society in West Bengal.
The Communist parties and the Trinamool Congress are the two primary political forces active in the State.
Giving his keynote address at the closing ceremony of the Golden Jubilee celebration of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C), he said, “West Bengal does not have a strong civil society and this is because the communists would not allow it.
“I further regret to say that the Trinamool Congress headed by Mamata Banerjee does not allow it either.”
Bangladesh is better
According to Guha, Bangladesh has a vibrant civil society in comparison. West Bengal should learn not to suppress its civil society, he pointed out.
“My only criticism of the Trinamool Congress is their attitude of – ‘if you are not with us then you are against us’,” he said.
Continuing conflicts over identity, language and religion, the instability in neighbouring countries, the growing Maoists insurgency, corruption and environmental degradation are some of the key constraints facing India’s growth story, he said.
Act local
Only a strong State would be able to tackle the issues of insurgency, inequality and environmental degradation, he pointed out.
“We should be looking at healing our own fault lines and problems within our country rather than taking them on at the global level,” he said.