Jyoti Basu passes away

Jyoti Basu, the relentless crusader against communalism passed away

Jyoit Basu , the embodiment of a statesman, politician, a lover of common mass and workers, a social reformer, a barrister and an innovator of industrial economics in the West Bengal, passed away leaving his ninety six years of eventful life. He was a figure not to be sunk into oblivion whatever political leaning an individual has. He has gone to his permanent place where all humans are rushing to. It is quite natural, still a bigger loss for India in particular and South Asia in general as we all have lost a great leader, an icon. From January 17 this zone goes without him.
His achievements will be judged by the extent to which he has transformed his ideas into reality. The major achievements of Basu in domestic affairs, since he came to power, are political stability and democracy. Land reforms and betterment of rural economies, a thoroughly non-communal ambience in the state and evolving a viable and multifaceted industrial policy even with limited powers make him longer living leader in the minds of millions. The industrial scene in the state has already changed significantly over the past few years and he intends to step up pace much more. These contributions form quite an impressive record as a statesman.
As chief minister of West Bengal he wooed private domestic and foreign investment for industrial development of the state. He toured extensively to allure more investments in West Bengal and he showed enviable success in his efforts. Today West Bengal witnesses industries of various sizes. He showed his clear pragmatic approach to political and economic issues to attract foreign investors in the face of strong criticism by his own party comrades. He was the main advocate for the initial participation of the Tatas in the Haldia Petrochemical Complex in West Bengal, which was among the first major industrial initiative during the left-ruled state. Basu said, “ We want capital, both foreign and domestic. After all we are working in a capitalist system. Socialism is not possible here.” His land reform policy has brought smiles to poor farmers of West Bengal. He distributed land to two million landless families.
From the very young age, Basu started taking interest in politics. In 1936 he joined London Majlis and elected as Secretary of London Majlis in 1937. Basu returned to India on 1st January 1940 and formally joined the Communist Party in India. He married to Basanti ( Chabi) Ghosh on 10the January 1940. On 11th May 1942 his wife Chabi died of typhod and his mother Hemlata. After six years Basu again got married to Kamal Basu on 5th December. Basu became the secretary of Friends of Soviet Union and Anti-Fascist Writer’s Association in Kolkata. As member of the Party, the initial task of Basu was to maintain liaison with underground Party leaders. He was entrusted responsibilities in the trade union front from 1944. In that year, Bengal Assam Railroad Workers’ Union was formed and Basu became its first secretary. Basu was elected to Bengal Provincial Assembly in 1946 from the Railway Workers constituency. Ratanal Brahman and Rupnarayn Rory were the other two Communists who were elected. From that day on, Basu became one of the most popular and influential legislators for decades to come. He showed how the Communists can use the legislative forums for strengthening struggles. Basu played a very active role in stormy days of 1946-47 when Bengal witnessed the Tebhaga movement, workers strikes and even communal riots. Everywhere the struggling people got Basu by their side. joyti Basu was the secretary of the West Bengal Provincial Committee of the Party from 1953 to January 1961. He was elected to Central Committee of the Party in 1951. 1948 and gave birth to a male child named Subhabrata Basu ( Chandan) on 12 September, 1952. Though 28 Communist candidates were elected to the West Bengal assembly in 1952, the then speaker refused to accord Basu , the status of the opposition . the recognition finally came in 1957 when Basu was re-elected from Baranagore constituency, the seat he retained till 1972 when he suffered the only electoral defeat in his political career.He emerged as an influential member of CPI(M) after the 1964 split in Communist Party of India over sharp ideological difference over the Sino-Indian war in 1962. He was a member of the Politburo from 1964 onwards. He was elected as a special invitee to PB in 19the Congress of the Party in 2008.
Basu was selected as a Provincial Committee Organizer of the Bengal Provincial Committee. He took part in all kind of political activities across the world. Basu laid a good foundation stone for Marxist in India. In 1972 elections were rigged and the Congress returned to power in West Bengal in 1972. Jyoti Basu as a result lost the elections from the Baraangar Assembly Constituency . jyoti Basu was forced to boycott the elections. Basu famously declared the new assembly as ‘assembly’ of the frauds’. And CIP boycotted the assembly for the next five years. Jyoti Basu belonged to the leadership of the CIP which steered the Party through the difficult days of semi-fascist terror in West Bengal in the early seventies. After the sweeping victory of the Left Front in 1977, Jyoti Basu became the Chief Minister of the Left Front. In 1977 he won the assembly seat from Satgacha and sworn in as Chief Minister of West Bengal on 21 June onwards continuously for an unprecedented five terms.
In 1980s he played a key role in convening a meeting of non-Congress chief ministers in Kolkata to raised their voice against the ‘step motherly’ attitude’ of the Congress government at the centre in close liaison with late NT Rama Rao of Andra Pradesh and late Ramkrishna Hedge of Krantaka. Basu’s political astuteness showed up once again when he succeeded in his efforts in late 1985 to convince late premier Ragiv Gandhi of the utility of forming a hill council to restore peace in strife –torn Darjeeling where the Gorkha Natioanl Liberation Front under subhas Ghising had waged a violent agitation for a separate state. The ear of coalition politics in India, which began in 1996, had offered him the chance to become the Prime Minster of the United Front Government in 1996 but his party CPI(M) declared to take over power at the centre. He obliged the party decision just like a loyal communist.
Bangladesh Jatya Sangsad paid a rich tribute to the great leader of the sub-continent Jyoti Basu by adopting an obituary reference unanimously , saying that he was a symbol of honesty, tolerance and ideology who will remain as a source of endless inspiration for posterity. Basu was a genuine friend of Bangladesh and he had helped the country in many ways for achieving independence and development. Dilip Barua, the minister for Industry of Bangladesh, said, the memory of Jyoti Basu would remain vivid in the memory of people as a rare personality and leader of the communist movement in the world. He played a very important role in signing the Ganges Water Agreement and Chittagong Hill Tracts peace Treaty. ‘India has lost a leader , Bangladesh has lost a well-wisher and I have lost a guardian’ commented Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasia. Our leader of the opposition also said that this region has lost a great leader and Bangladesh also has lost a well wisher.


Jyoti Basu’s death came as a huge blow to Indian Communist movement as he was called the communists’ star poll campaigner. He was also called ‘a field marshal in a gentleman’s garb’. His personal charisma often drew a million supporters in his public meetings. Dr. Manomohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister rightly said about Basu, ‘ He was a pragmatic visionary politician whose death marks the end of an era in the annuals of Indian politics.”

Md. Masum Billah
Senior Manager: BRAC Education Programme, PACE
Cell: 01714-091431