West Bengal opens a new chapter in history

West Bengal opens a new chapter in history
The West Bengal elections declared Trinomool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee winner giving salute to the communist party. The present chief minister and the CPI(M) leader Budhudev Bhatacharjee has already stepped down in the face of Left Front’s drubbing in the Assembly election. Thus the longest communist rule in India since 1977 has come to an end opening a new chapter in West Bengal. Sixty six year old CPI(M) politburo member succumbed to the strong winds of change .Political analyst Sabyasachi Basu said, “ It’s a profoundly important moment for the people of the state who had an intense desire for change.” Mamata Banerjee , a populist who casts herself as a champion of the poor, has ridden a wave of popular discontent with the Communist government’s handling of the economy that has left industry in decline and the state neck-deep in debt. The farmers, the toiling masses, the poor really wanted a change.
The feisty 56 year old Banerjee who is the founder and chairperson of the Trinomool Congress set up in 1998 after falling out with Congress party , is now savoring the victory of a war she has found so steadfastly often risking her own life. A firebrand orator, coined a catchy slogan, “ Ma, Mati o Manush” and ‘poribartan’ before last year’s Lok Sabha, the seven time MP successfully sold a vision of development , cashing in on the widespread resentment among the middle classes and unemployed youths, promising jobs and development. Mamata was born in a lower middle class family of a freedom fighter. When she was studying at Jogmaya College in Kolkata in 1970s, she joined the Chathra Parishad which is the student wing of Congress. She became the general secretary of West Bengal women’s congress unit of 1979-80 and subsequently held other posts in Congress. She tasted the state power first in 1991 in the Narosima Rao’s government as a state minister for Human Resources Development, Youth Affairs and Sports and Women and Child Development. Her party won eight and seven seats in the Lok Sabha polls in 1998 and 1999 respectively and joined hands with BJP seen in party circles as disastrous move in hindsight. During NDA rule under the Atal Behari Bajpayee government, Mamat was Railway Minster in 1999 and for Coal and Mines in 2004 . She was also a minister without portfolio for brief period in 2003 and 2004. She had been a relentless fighter against the CPI(M).She gained much popularity when the controversial land acquisition issue in Nandigram and Singur issue appeared on the political scene in 2008. She took the farmers’ side, traveled extensively in the villages and really fought for the farmers’ cause and interest. She proved herself since then that she has been a leader of the poor and rural, minorities and rural have-nots.
So, she reacts at the polls result thus, “The result reflects a 34-year ‘freedom struggle’ and a victory for the people.” She continues, “We want to dedicate our victory to our people and motherland. We will give people and motherland a good administration, not autocracy.” Trinomool and its ally Congress had led an aggressive campaign in the mostly rural state, hammering the communist led government for economic stagnation, agricultural malaise and industrial decline. The people responded to their call which has become apparent in the election results. Trinomool Congress and Congress secured –three fourths majority in West Bengal while India’s ruling Congress headed by Sonia Gandhi retained power for a third consecutive term in Assam. Out of 294 assembly seats in West Bengal Trinomool Congress and its ally Congress won 226 seats while CPI(M) and its allies were reduced to just 60 seats from more than 200 seats won in the previous elections. Trinomool alone got a very comfortable majority in the assembly with 184 seats while Congress secured 42 seats and the remaining eight seats were occupied by other parties.
Now which factors contributed much to end the 34-year rule of the Communist who developed a strong hold in the state? Actually, Mamata has led her unwavering campaign against the communists since she formed Trinomool Congress in 1998. She successfully made the people of West Bengal understand the gaps and shortcomings of the CPI(M). Her party filled the space of a credible opposition to the left, the space which Congress lost because of its dalliance with the Left from time to time including from 2004 to 2009.Congress had a layered relationship with the Left . While in West Bengal politics , Congress was sworn rival of Left . Over the years this has harmed politically as far as their credibility was concerned, although Congress has enjoyed fruits of power at the centre with the Left help. Mamata on the other hand, was steadfast in her fight against credibility.
The long thirty- four years in power itself is a negative point for the Communist. It actually led them to be autocrats in some fields inviting the present doom. Anybody in any field who was not ideologically with the Marxists were steamrolled in all sorts of ways and dissent in and out of the party was put down with iron hands. Definitely it goes against democratic or communist ideology.
A section of CPI(M) leaders embroiled themselves in corruption. They a led a luxurious lifestyle which they have always preached against. As this section sent a wrong image of the party, Mamata on the other hand, led a simple life wearing her trademark plain cotton sari and a pair of chappals, and living in a tiled-roof house in one of the most congested localities of Kolkata. All this represented the poverty of the West Bengali in general and poverty of the rural people in particular. Finally, she could win the hearts of the hungry, minorities and the suffering farmers. She strongly supported the farmers who were against the establishment of industries on their arable fertile land. The Communist government not only gave the TATA Company to build car industries but also shot the farmers who protested against it. This incident seriously damaged the party image. Car is the symbol of the wealthy people. Farmers are the friends of the communist. Against the ideology of the communist, the farmers were killed by the state police. Mamata did not make delay to stand beside the farmers. That very day actually made a wide road for her victory.

CPI (M) aggressive trade union wing CITU worked as a stumbling block to private industries and investment and information technology sector in West Bengal , the sunrise sector in other parts of India. That led to large scale unemployment and anger among the educated and technology skilled youth in West Bengal. They voted for change and it is a reality.

The so-called land reform policy which the CPI(M) started just after coming to power in 1977 created a special wealthy class. The landless got money and land through the policy which made them greedier to grab more and more land and money. From the party there was no such control or monitoring to see how things were going on in the villages and whether the real needy people were getting benefit out of the system. Due to this loophole of the system, a class was developed to cheat the poor and began to lead a pompous life inviting much anger from the commoners and sufferers.
Finally it can be said that change is the go of nature. People prefer change. They have been sticking to the same party for more than three decades which made them tasteless. Again, the absence of Joyti Basu, the charismatic leader of the party also played much to draw this conclusion. The election results not only say goodbye to the 34-year rule of the communist but also the state will see its first woman chief minister who has not got married. Obviously it is a new chapter in the history of West Bengal.
Masum Billah