West Bengal Assembly polls: 'Syndicate Raj', BJP's favourite weapon against TMC

The absence of major opposition powers and the lack of vehement political protests can be considered as important reasons behind its rise

'Cut money culture' and 'Syndicate Raj'.

You must have repeatedly heard these two words in certain rallies, even if you are following the upcoming West Bengal Assembly election with a sense of lethargy. More specifically, these words have frequently played their parts in the BJP rallies where the party has accused the Mamata Banerjee-helmed government of practising and fostering the 'syndicate raj'. The weapon is so potent that even Narendra Modi has used it aplenty.

But what is this 'Syndicate Raj'?

According to an Indian Express article, the 'Syndicate Raj' first raised its ugly head in West Bengal during the Left Front government's regime when the late CPI(M) minister Subhash Chakraborty followed a policy of appeasement towards these groups. These groups flourished around early 2000 in the Salt Lake and Rajarhat-New Town areas where the IT and other service industries had just started setting up operations.

The beginning of the 'IT era' in West Bengal led to a sudden boom in the construction sector, along with employment, and the syndicates, allegedly helped by the ministers, flourished rapidly.

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The 'Syndicates' comprised mostly unemployed local youths who would control the supply of building materials and divide the profit, a process termed by the Opposition as an 'organised illegal extortion racket'. But much to the charging of many, CPI(M) termed it as 'samyabaad' (socialism) at the micro-level.

The birth of the 'Syndicate Raj' inevitably led to the rise of a lot of 'promoters' in the construction sector, a term used in Bengal for people who arrange money and supervise the construction works. Predictably, it is the 'promoters' who kept the cash-flow steady at the state's ground level of party politics.

The clout of 'Syndicate' developed over the years, leading to the rise in rampant corruption and usage of raw materials of poor quality for the construction works. Corrupt groups forced the builders and consumers to buy from a particular vendor connected to the same groups and political party officials.

In 2011, when the 34-year-old Left rule collapsed against Mamata's 'Poriborton' (change) promise, the 'Syndicates' simply switched sides and continued to function in the same manner. According to many, it became more powerful with some of the prominent TMC leaders being heavily involved in the corruption scandals.

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The 'Syndicates' slowly but steadily even infiltrated the education sector, charging the students money in exchange for seats in colleges.

In the 2016 Assembly elections, the syndicate took a direct plunge into politics, propelling TMC to power. It happened again in the 2018 panchayat polls when unbridled violence marred the entire electoral process.

When the under-construction Vivekananda Road flyover in Kolkata's Girish Park collapsed in 2016, the reason behind it was said to be the low-quality raw materials supplied by such 'Syndicates'. The tragic incident resulted in the death of 27 people, and 50 more were injured.

The absence of major opposition powers and the lack of vehement political protests can be considered as important reasons behind the rise of the 'Syndicate Raj' in Bengal. During the Left regime in Bengal, CPI(M) was the unchallenged ruler with Mamata's TMC struggling to find a foothold in state politics. By the time TMC came to power, CPI(M) and the other Left parties' strength had reduced vastly, with low-level leaders jumping the ship in numbers. It is mainly after the emergence of BJP d as a strong Opposition party in Bengal after its astounding result in the Lok Sabha election 2019 that the political bombardment on the 'syndicates' started.

BJP has predictably used it as a tool to attack TMC and Mamata Banerjee. Will it result in the saffron party's victory, or will TMC escape somewhat unscathed? The answer will be revealed on May 2, when countings of the Assembly elections take place.