Enlightened Buddha

Napoleon is credited with having observed that in politics one should never retreat, never retract and never admit a mistake. There are innumerable practitioners of politics in India who seem to give an almost scriptural credence to that injunction. Their innumerable missteps, misdemeanours, even misdeeds spill out into the open, but never does a word of regret emanate from their lips. It took over two decades for the Congress to formally express regret over the 1984 riots, and from the BJP we haven8217;t yet heard a convincing word of remorse for Gujarat 2002. If democratic politics is about the constant exchange between the rulers and the ruled 8212; in ways ranging from criticism in the media to results of electoral contestations 8212; the correctives that emerge from such interaction need to be acknowledged and addressed.

It is against such a measure that the Bengal CM8217;s remarks of regret over Nandigram in Delhi need to be assessed. The Bengal chief minister unequivocally recognised Nandigram as a 8220;political and administrative failure8221;. He also expressed remorse for his 8220;paying them back in the same coin8221; statement. He now says he wants 8220;peace8230; peace for all sections8221;. At last, it appears, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is speaking the language of a chief minister, not that of a party cadre. But he must also know that if 8220;peace for all sections8221; is to come about, it will require more than words. He must now ensure that justice is done even if it means holding the CPM8217;s own cadres to account. He must also personally step in to see that those who now find themselves without homes or access to their land because they happen to be on the 8216;wrong8217; side of the state8217;s political divide, are provided the necessary security to rebuild their lives.

There can be no denying the shadow which the Nandigram events and their aftermath have cast on the state and its industrialisation project. Already major players have begun indicating impatience with the marked deceleration of governmental enthusiasm for expediting pending projects crucial for the state8217;s growth and employment generation potential. Such procrastination, Bengal cannot afford. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee needs to close the Nandigram chapter and move on. And here that familiar Frenchman on a horse may have some words he can heed: 8220;Strategy is the art of making use of time and space8230; Space we can recover, lost time never.8221;