HVK Archives: Jyoti Basu's remarks expose myth of unity in left camp
Jyoti Basu's remarks expose myth of unity in left camp - The Times of India
Utpal Chatterjee
()
May 14, 1998
Title: Jyoti Basu's remarks expose myth of unity in left camp
Author: Utpal Chatterjee
Publication: The Times of India
Date: May 14, 1998
That efforts to bring about unity within the Left Front before
the forthcoming panchayat elections have finally failed has
become evident not only from the strong remarks made by state
chief minister Jyoti Basu about the RSP at the start of his
election campaign but also from the equally strong reaction from
the Left constituent concerned.
Indeed, after weeks of attempts by Marxist leaders in Calcutta to
ensure that riendly contests" among Left constituents were
avoided at any cost at the grassroot level in districts, they
have realised to their dismay that the diktat from the Alimuddin
street headquarters of the CPM had not been heeded as expected.
According to Marxist leader and editor of the CPM mouthpiece
Ganaskakti, Anil Biswas, 34 partymen had so far been expelled
>from the party for having flouted orders. More complaints about
dissent had come in. The state committee of the party would take
appropriate action only after getting the reports from its the
district committee.
But, whereas the CPM can take action against its own partymen for
not toeing the party line, there is little that it can do when it
comes to other Left constituents failing to respond to unity
efforts. This became more thanapparent at the last meeting of the
Left Front held earlier this month at the CPM headquarters when
an exasperated Jyoti Basu walked out in a huff mid-way through
the meeting.
Last Saturday, however, at his inaugural campaign meeting at
Haora Mr Basu openly came out against the RSP by accusing it for
its negative role. For the first time in the 21 years that he has
been the chief minister of the Left Front government in the
state, he charged a prominent Left constituent like the RSP m
public for blocking consensus on seat-sharing in as many as five
districts. "Has the RSP alone gained such strength that it could
go on as it likes? Then what about us? he asked caustically.
Totally taken aback by his remarks, RSP leaders took a while to
react but react they certainly did and very sharply too. Said
senior RSP leader and the state PWD minister, Kshiti Goswami, "Mr
Basu's remarks make it evident that the CPM wants to push us into
a corner. But whatever he may say or comment, we do not want the
Left unity to fall apart. However, instead of resorting to such
remarks in public and for the fist time in 21 years, a veteran
leader like Mr Basu ought to have restrained himself and sent
responsible leaders to the districts to help sort out the
problems", he said.
Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh said that Mr Basu could well have
refrained from making the sort of remarks that he had since these
would do no good to unity process. The Left Front constituents
had agreed, he said, not to make any comments in the public on
Left unity efforts. But now that Mr Basu had himself gone ahead
and done precisely that, it could well affect Left parties' poll
prospects, he said.
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