Communists in Kolkata
The government is moving poor people off their land to make way for a car plant.
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| Disenfranchised in Kolkata |
The Indian state of West Bengal is the home to the world’s longest serving democratically elected communist government.
The state has been known for its strike culture and strong labour movement. It was a ‘no-go’ area for industrialists and in the mid-1980s its share of India’s total industrial output plummeted to less than five per cent.
But now, following on the heels of their Chinese comrades the government is endorsing pro-capitalist reforms and is doing everything to bring the business class back, including moving poor farmers off their land to make way for a car manufacturing plant.
People & Power’s Sapna Bhatia reports.
Watch this episode of People & Power here:
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This episode of People & Power aired from 06 May 2007
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