THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In politics, milestones matter. Being the second-only chief minister from a party that ran the longest serving democratically-elected Communist government in the world, is nonetheless a record, especially in the parlance of Parliamentary politics. Having said that, being known as the last chief minister from a party that ruled for a long 34 years, doesn't augur well for any politician.
The life and times of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the last Communist chief minister of West Bengal, who passed away on Thursday, could well serve as an eye-opener for the CPM elsewhere in the country, especially in Kerala. At a time when the Left has been going through challenging times, how the Bengal veteran bowed down in 2011 after being in office for 11 consecutive years, can enlighten the Left leaders and cadres.
As in Kerala, in WB too, the CPM had surged forward making notable progress through reforms like power decentralisation, Panchayat Raj, protecting the rights of tenants and development of the agricultural sector. The state was moving rapidly to the next phase of progress, at the time.
Buddhadeb took over at a time when the CPM was divided over the so-called 'historical blunder' episode. Nevertheless he proved the most apt successor to Jyoti Basu. The Singur and Nandigram blunders however cost dearly, with the 2011 election turning out to be his personal Waterloo.
"Budhadebda was trying to bring in an industrial uprising, through people's participation. It could have well addressed unemployment in Bengal. As the state was moving towards industrialisation, large scale land acquisition became the state government's responsibility. The Bengal experience teaches us a valuable lesson that land for any purpose should be acquired, only after taking farmers into confidence," observes CPM Politburo member MA Baby.
It was not Buddhadeb's decision to attract investments for industrialisation of the state per se that was wrong, but zeroing in on Nandigram, which was most fertile land used for agriculture, for the same turned out to be a huge lapse of judgment. He antagonised the peasantry that had always been the backbone of the Communist movement. Moreover, by then, Parliamentary dreams too had crept its way into the hearts of CPM leaders too, pointed out Communist observer Appukkuttan Vallikkunnu.
"Lot of land, available with defunct industrial units, could have been used for the purpose. The Politburo later directed to shift the industry to another place, but the damage had already been wrought. Simultaneously, 'Parliament-alism' had crept into the CPM too. Its credibility was affected, giving the impression that CPM was not different from other parties," observed Vallikkunnu.
On the other hand, there are umpteen things that Left leaders can imbibe from the Bengal veteran. Simplicity was what defined Buddhadeb, the leader. A multi-faceted leader, and a poet, he nurtured a special liking towards literature and culture. A truly simple lifestyle characterized his entire existence. Despite being a minister for more than two decades, he chose to live in a tiny flat. In 2022, he even refused to accept Padma Bhushan by the union government. A leader worth emulating by the present crop of politicians.
That the Titan lost after a people's uprising should show the way for the Kerala Left, which is eager to go ahead with projects like Silverline ignoring public ire. Similarly taking a cue from its Bengal counterparts - how its 34-year-long rule distanced the party from the masses reducing it to zero representation in the House - would augur well for the Kerala party.