West Bengal without Jyoti
Posted : January 17, 2010 at 7:16 pm [IST]
Jyoti Basu is no more. Some years ago, Jyoti Basu handed over the rule of West Bengal to his successor, Budhdha Babu. But Jyoti Basu remained as the mentor for his party men. Bengal for many years meant the land of Jyoti Basu.
I was in West Bengal for all the years Jyoti ruled West Bengal. I consider Jyoti as the first one in India to create an alliance of all the left political parties to form a United Front that is ruling West Bengal after the end of Congress era with Sidhartha Sankar Roy as its last chief minister.
I was on shop floor management in the state and had to deal with the labour. I never found myself comfortable with the policies of Jyoti Basu. His era started with frequent strikes, gheraos, slowdown, and even violence towards the supervisory staffs and managers.
I saw the labour union movement going totally berserk and irrational. West Bengal lost its attraction for setting up industries. Many factories closed down. Millions lost their only means of earning. Jyoti Babu never tried to improve upon the atmosphere in the industrial organizations and make it amicable.
As I hear Jyoti Babu brought about a revolutionary transformation in rural Bengal. I somehow find it difficult to appreciate. The rural Bengal totally got aligned on basis of political affiliation. Only those having memberships to the left parties got all the benefits through its cadre. Unfortunately, Jyoti babu allowed even teachers to get politically aligned. Education suffered. Even the teachers of the colleges such as Presidency College had to be content by keeping their mouth shut.
Even with the opportunity to build a Bengal of his own dreams that could be a benchmark for the rest of the country, Jyoti babu failed. West Bengal went to the party and party men and not to the people at large. Education and healthcare remained at the bottom.
However, Jyoti babu lived a great life with no one to challenge him. I had to suffer a lot personally too in his West Bengal. But as nothing succeeds like success, Jyoti babu will also become a great son of the country.
I know it an unusual tribute for one who is no more, but this is my way.
Let me also pay my own homage to him, as I lived in his West Bengal that I love so much and whatever I learnt in life is all from that state.
- Indra
Category: Indian politics |
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