But it is the bigger picture that is scary and dangerous for Bengal. Ever since the late 1960s and early 1960s, goons and musclemen dwelling in the slums and shanties in and around the city had been used by political parties to intimidate rivals. But since 1977, when the Left Front came to power, the process of empowerment of such elements in the name of empowering the poor and marginalized commenced. And today, these elements feel emboldened to physically assault respectable doctors and retired bureaucrats of Salt Lake going to the polling booths to cast their votes. Of course, there is nothing wrong in genuinely empowering the poor and marginalized; that should be the priority of all parties. But political parties are not bothered about spreading education and awareness among them; an educated person is, after all, difficult to control and order around to carry out dirty tasks. Political parties in Bengal are not bothered about improving the economic plight of these people. All they do is encourage these people to indulge in illegal activities and take the law into their hands. By encouraging them to do so, the political parties turn them into the lumpen class that becomes permanently dependent on political patronage for survival.