Intellectuals drift away from Marxists after attacks by CPM cadres

Kolkata, May 4 (UNI) As the flames of violence refuse to die down in Nandigram with rival political parties baying for each others' blood, the CPI(M) finds another formidable adversary--a section of the state's intellectuals--drifting away from the Marxists.

The rift was more pronounced after the alleged attack by a section of CPI(M) supporters while a team of artistes was on a visit to Nandigram on May one for distribution of money and clothes among the victims of violence.

What perhaps made Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee smile was the criticism of the intellectuals by a senior minister questioning their intention and the spate of campaign against the Marxist government by the elites.

Talking to UNI, noted theatre personality Shaoli Mitra retold the incident when alleged CPI(M) supporters waylaid and abused them, shouted slogans and smashed the windscreens of several cars as a convoy of vehicles, carrying the intellectuals and artistes, was on its way back to Kolkata.

''We had just reached Khashchora near Chandipur when we saw a sizeable CPI(M) procession with slogans of 'we shall bring back peace'. They scanned our cars as we went past, but our fellow artistes in other cars were not so lucky,'' Ms.Mitra recounted.

Hardly had four cars passed the scene when the intellectuals saw that the remaining cars were stopped, the people abused, the drivers beaten up and in two cases the rear window panes smashed, she said.

''If this is what they can do to a group of intellectuals who have gone to give some relief to the victims of Nandigram without any political inhibition, we can understand the plight of the common people there. We condemn the incident which only emboldens us,'' she said.

Economist Santanu Banerjee recounting the events said, ''I was caught in the midst of the attack. They vandalised our cars with torches and sticks and kept looking for Shaoli Mitra. I don't know what kind of revenge tactics is this because we have raised our voice agaisnt a case of atrocity.'' Dramatist Bratya Basu, gave vent to his spleen, while talking to UNI said, ''We were manhandled, abused and threatened by CPI(M) hooligans. The problem is we do not belong to any particular political party. But we are undeterred in our aim of standing by the victimised.

''These are uncontrolled hoodlums with political backing. But we are not cowed down by such attacks,'' he added.

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