7 Innings, 33 years
The agrarian reforms started in 70s gave left front a huge political platform to rule West Bengal. A single successful grassroot level policy reform made the Left Fort impregnable. For 33 complete years left fort has remained instant in the state politics. The party has ruled the state for 7 consecutive term. The left had won the last polls of 2006 too with huge majority.A big achievement of the Left Front government in West Bengal is its record in safeguarding democratic rights. Its impeccable record in upholding secularism and communal harmony, dealing with communal elements with a firm hand and defending the rights of minorities is a welcome exception to the pragmatic communalism practiced by the bourgeois parties and the State governments led by them. The fact that the communal RSS-BJP combine have failed to gain any significant foothold in the State is primarily because of the relentless ideological-political campaign against communalism, in which the Left Front government leads from the front. While dalits and adivasis across the country continue to be victims of caste violence, it is indeed heartening to find that West Bengal has an almost zero rate of atrocities against dalits and adivasis. The Left Front government also has the distinction of resolving the Gorkhaland issue, in a just and democratic manner within the framework of the Indian Constitution, by providing regional autonomy to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. Born out of the struggles against authoritarianism and State repression, it is the commitment of the Left Front government to democracy, which has won it enormous credibility in the eyes of the people of West Bengal and enabled it to complete thirty years in office. But now something is rotten in the Left side.
Big Threat to 'Red' Fort
The Left fared much better than most of the Indian states in land reforms, it fared poorly in public and private industrial sectors. 63 years back, West Bengal was one of the most industrialized states of India with a huge share of 24 per cent in total industrial production of the country. But, its share has declined to a dismal 4 per cent. It is ironical that today in West Bengal the Left is considered pro-capital while TMC pro-poor. In line with this new perception, TMC has gained support from many leftist intellectuals, civil society groups, and even the Maoists. Disillusioned with the Left government's support to the Centre in fighting red terror, Maoists sided with TMC calling it a progressive option in their fight against feudalism.This is why the Left Front is in deep trouble facing popular anger and charges of rampant corruption and poor governance; as well as possibility of split in the Left plank with couple of smaller parties moving towards an alliance with TMC.
Will the fort collapse in 2011
Lost 20 seats in Loksabha polls: West Bengal's seemingly impregnable red fort collapsed in LokSabha elections. The opposition Congress and Trinamool Congress alliance poised to win more than half of the 42 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. The Left Front has come up with its worst performance since 1977. The Trinamool-Congress combine could end up with 26 seats, reducing the Left Front to 15. In the 2004 elections, the Left Front had finished with a whopping 35 seats, while the Congress and the Trinamool had to be satisfied with six and one respectively. The LF had been decimated in five districts, besides facing the wrath of Muslims, angry over the violent incidents in Nandigram and the Sachar Committee report that pulled up the LF government for the backwardness of the minority committee. The defeat of the CPI-M in its stronghold of Uluberia - from where its candidate Hannan Mollah won eight times consecutively - is a pointer to this.
Poor performance in Civic Polls: Riding the winds of political change, Mamata Banerjee's TMC won the 141-ward city municipal corporation polls, inflicting a crushing blow to the ruling LF in the civic elections, dubbed as a semi-final before next year's Assembly polls. The Trinamool Congress, which had already won two-thirds majority in the 141-member KMC, will not need the support of the Congress to rule Kolkata.The Left Front which was in power in KMC with 75 wards has managed to win in only 29 wards. In the 2005 KMC polls, Left parties had won 75 seats, TC 42, Congress 21 and BJP three.Notwithstanding the bickering between her party and the Congress over the recent civic elections in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has already announced that the two parties would contest the next assembly polls in alliance.Ma, Mati, Manush formula of Mamta is still in force in the state for upcoming assembly polls. Apparently referring to the Left Front's repeated electoral setbacks, congress has also said that winds of change were blowing across the state.
The Big Question Now:Will the Left Fort collapse in 2011 assembly polls? Is that wind still blowing?
