By IANS,
Kolkata: A private management institute’s decision to give awards to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and some intellectuals for their efforts to free West Bengal from ‘Stalinists’ has raised the hackles of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
The CPI-M’s ire followed full-page newspaper advertisements by the New Delhi-based Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) announcing the Manavata Vikas Awards, each carrying a cash incentive of Rs.5 lakh.
Apart from Railway Minister Banerjee, others named for the awards include painter Subhaprasanna Bhattacharya, writers Sunanda Sanyal and Mahasweta Devi besides social activist Medha Patkar — all known for their run-ins with the Left Front government.
Banerjee was hailed “for Applied Political Management in restoring democracy from the clutches of the Stalinists” while Bhattacharya was praised “for organising the Bengali intelligentsia to restore democracy in West Bengal displacing the long rule of Stalinist parties”.
Sanyal was feted “for life-long dedication to the well-beign of students and for his active contribution to restore democracy in West Bengal”, the advertisement said.
The octogenarian Mahasweta Devi was selected for “dedicating her life towards the upliftment of the tribals” while Patkar was recognized “for taking up the causes of displaced poorest – victims of big projects – across every part of the nation including West Bengal”.
Bhattacharya, Sanyal and Mahasweta are active members of an intellectual forum ‘Swajan’ that played an active role in Banerjee’s movements against the state government’s bid to acquire land to set up industries in Singur and Nandigram.
The advertisement said: “An academic institution cannot exist in vacuum and is rooted deeply into the political and socio-economic environment. Restoration of democracy in West Bengal helps proper growth of education and personality of students”.
The IIPM said Britain’s Buckingham University and the International Management Institute of Belgium were its partners in instituting the award and selecting the awardees.
Mahasweta Devi told IANS that she was in the dark about the award. “I don’t know who is giving this award. I have never heard about this institute. Nobody has contacted me.”
The CPI-M’s mouthpiece “Ganashakti” said that the “only reason for giving the awards is to extend financial support to anti-Left Front personalities in their conspiracy against the CPI-M”.