‘Left broke justice system’s back’

Sunanda Goswami,picked by Mamata Banerjee a few weeks ago to head the State Women’s Commission,told The Indian Express: “The 34 years of Left Front rule has broken the backbone of normal justice delivery systems because of extreme politicisation.”

Sunanda is wife of Kshiti Goswami,PWD minister in the previous government.

“We have to instill positive thinking in those women who have faced the worst,” said Sunanda,who held her first meeting of the Women Commission on Wednesday.

The new Women’s Commission chairperson has also drawn a proposal to appoint a ‘protection officer’ at every police station and SDO office in the state to look into complaints of women’s rights violations. A draft of the new provision proposes to vest more powers with the Womens’ Commission to ensure speedy justice.

“We have checked the status of several pending cases during the last Commission’s tenure and several cases need to be reopened and new investigations held,” said Sunanda,who considers Mamata a “true Leftist”.

The induction of Sunanda had created a flutter in Left circles,leaving senior RSP leaders extremely agitated. Apparently,her husband,Kshiti Goswami,tipped to be the party’s next state secretary,had to bear the brunt when his promotion was “deferred indefinitely” at a RSP state committee meeting held last month.

Sunanda was involved with the RSP’s student wing Progressive Students Union during her student days. “During the 90s,I slowly realised that Left politics was getting restricted in the state and decided to become a member of APDR — a rights body,” she said. She admitted that it has been tough dealing with accusations that she was ‘a rightist’ and ‘a Trinamool agent’.

Her induction is being seen by many Left leaders as a strategical move by the Chief Minister to create a rift in the Left camp in the state. Before she accepted the post last month,RSP national secretariat member Manoj Bhattacharjee had told The Indian Express that “if she finally accepts the position,it would be a big embarrassment for the party”.