Anti-CPM nest in Buddha146;s own backyard

In the Writers8217; Buildings, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee8217;s backyard, government employees have adapted the 8220;Nandigram model8221; to press for their demands.

In the Writers8217; Buildings, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee8217;s backyard, government employees have adapted the 8220;Nandigram model8221; to press for their demands.

For the last two weeks, cutting across political borders, employees have joined hands to throw the state secretariat into total chaos. The Mahakaran Sangram Committee 8212; a cluster of ten organisations 8212; has been created as an anti-CPM forum with the backing of Naxals, the SUCI, Trinamool Congress and the Congress. It has dealt a massive blow to the government, forcing the chief secretary to issue a circular and asking the police and CID to initiate inquires.

To begin with, the organisation has been telling the workers that compared to the Central government, state government employees are grossly underpaid.

The message has hit home: at least three breakaway groups of the CPM-backed coordination committee and a section of RSP are supporting the Mahakaran Sangram Committee.

The most influential of the organisations is the West Bengal Government Employees8217; Union Naba Parjaya, a breakaway group of the coordination committee.

Its general secretary, Samir Ranjan Mazumder, who has repeatedly travelled to Nandigram, said: 8220;It would not be wrong to say this is not based on the Nandigram model, but actually this is a concerted movement against the Left Front government. We have different ideologies, but we have decided to fight against an autocratic government led by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.8221;

On Thursday, the chief secretary issued an order that employees are only allowed to hold small informal meeting during the lunch hour. They cannot disturb other employees or hold demonstrations in the office.

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8220;Such activities amount to acts of indiscipline,8221; the order said.

But on Friday too, the members of the organisation paraded through the Writers Building, shouting slogans even after 2.30 pm. 8220;We don8217;t care about these orders. If we let go of our rights now, we will be snubbed forever,8221; said Shyamal Mitra, one of its leaders. The development has put the coordination committee in a spot. Manoj Guha, its joint secretary, said: 8220;We are aware that some people from our organisation have left to join the movement. Do you want us to begin fisticuffs? We have asked our people to inquire into it.8221;