Click to play videoBudge Budge, West Bengal: It's been one "minority crisis" after another for the Buddhadeb government, starting with the goof-ups in the Rizwanur Rehman case, then throwing Taslima out of Kolkata.
Just ahead of the panchayat polls, the government has a reason to worry about the minority electorate – the poor Muslims, who were involved in backyard poultry farming and have borne the brunt of chicken culling. They are ostensibly upset with the government.
"We see this as a ploy to sell American poultry products in our country, which will cost much more than our own products,” says a resident of Budge Budge, Sheikh Najes. “We can't afford that. We will not let the government cull chickens in our village and we are ready to face the consequences."
The Buddhadeb government faces an uphill task as it struggles for new ideas to keep the minority vote-bank intact.
After the massive culling operations, the government apprehended a backlash and announced an added compensation of Rs 500 per affected family. Besides a new Rs 100 crores rehabilitation scheme, it is also requesting banks to waive or reschedule farmers' loans.
"We are considering only the miserable condition of the poor people and not in the light of Hindus or Muslims or minorities,” stated state minister for Animal Resources Development, Anisur Rehman, adding that the minority-majority question was “not our main concern."
Clearly, the Bird flu menace has spread its wings beyond the domain of Bengal's poultry and the accompanying financial losses for farmers.
Despite the assurances of the government, the political fall-out and its impact on the vote-bank is what seems to be bothering the Left Front government more than anything else. With panchayat polls just a few months away, the Left Front government is stuck at a critical crossroad.
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