Elucidating the contribution of veteran Communist leader Jyoti Basu to parliamentary democracy, former Chief Minister and Polit Buro member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said here on Tuesday that Mr. Basu had brought the struggle of peasants and working classes to the centre of politics in West Bengal.
Speaking at an event organised to mark the 100th birth centenary of Mr. Basu. he touched on the Communist leader’s conviction to democracy and the faith in secularism.
“He brought the issues of peasants and the workers to the fore in parliamentary democracy. Its origins lay in the workers movement which was followed by strikes and protest in factories. These protests turned into a phenomenon which engulfed the entire industrial sector and workers were successful is ascertaining their rights,” Mr. Bhattachrarjee said. When he came to power, unlike any other Chief Minister, he made it clear that the government will have to stand for the rights of farmers and agricultural workers.
“The fight for land went ahead with giving pattas (land rights) to the farmers and then identifying the rights of share croppers,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said.
The former Chief Minister reflected on how Mr. Basu ensured that the State remained insulated from the communal strife in 1984 after the murder of Indira Gandhi and 1992 after demolition of Babri Masjid.
“He was secular to the core of his heart. He knew that Communist movement and secularism has to go hand in hand,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said.
Recounting that Mr. Basu had even called the then Prime Minister P V Narashima Rao warning him that the developments could take a nasty turn, he said that Mr Basu had even told his colleagues jokingly that the Prime Minister was convinced that people would disperse from the Babri Masjid site only after performing bhajans.
“Jyoti Babu has an unwavering faith in democracy.. Despite himself being arrested a number of times for false charges when the Left Front government came to power in 1977 all political prisoners across political lines were freed. It was like a general amnesty,” he said.
Referring to present times Mr. Bhattacharjee said that it is clear that the politics in the country has taken a “right turn” with the alliance of corporates and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS) ruling the nation but added that it is imperative for the Left forces to take lessons from Jyoti Basu's life and put up a fight.
