Ballot, not bullet, powers Left Front to history

The Left Front government in West Bengal created history of sorts in parliamentary democracy on Wednesday as it celebrated its unbroken rule of 30 years, a month after their resounding victory in the assembly polls.

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"People of this state are discerning and conscious. They have made history by returning us to power for the seventh time. Others in the country should follow the example set by us," 92-year-old Communist Party of India (Marxist) patriarch Jyoti Basu, who was chief minister for a record 25 years, told PTI.

While there are many achievements during Basu's tenure such as land reforms when his government distributed land to 13 lakh farmers, the main theme of the present Buddhadev Bhattacherjee dispensation was to re-orient policies towards rapid industrialisation based on achievements during the past three decades on land reforms and agriculture.

With 'Brand Buddha' on the roll after the spectacular poll victory, industry top guns were queuing up with investment proposals. First, the Tatas came calling with their Rs one lakh small car project. Videocon followed and then came the Jindals. Now, it is the turn of Reliance Industry. The Mukesh Ambani controlled company prposes to set up a mega retail agro-products chain in the state.

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Bhattacherjee, the poster boy of CPI(M)'s economic reforms has made no bones about the new policy direction of the government. Basu said though the state government has been able to fulfill 90 per cent of its programmes, 10 per cent could not be achieved 'due to our negligence and also due to the Centre's policies. We hope to achieve them in the current term.'

The CPI(M) leader said despite the Left Front's win by a huge margin it was time the Left made efforts to bring to fold those who were against them and those who had not voted for them.

"We never bluff people. We never hide anything from people, not even negative aspects. People trust us. We have excelled in land reforms. We have been also able to come out of the financial crisis, which the state faced during the end of the fifth term and this would be reflected in the coming budget to be presented in the House," Basu said.

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"We have increased our presence in 216 rural seats. Compared to 2001. We have increased our strength by 20 seats to 183," the CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose said. The Left Front adopted the industrial policy in 1994 when Basu was chief minister, but the real progress in that direction was evident during Bhattacharjee's tenure.

The political and economic situation in the country also helped Bhattacharjee to aggressively market West Bengal as a possible destination to set up industries. The chief minister announced in the assembly on Monday that in the first quarter of 2006, the government has ensured industrial investment of Rs 6000 crore.

Agricultural land for industrial use, however, has become a thorn among the non-CPI(M) partners in the Left Front. Left Front partners – Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Forward Bloc have slammed the 'indiscriminate' conversion of fertile agricultural land to industrial estates and IT parks.

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Among the areas the Left Front government failed conspicuously are health and education, particularly its twin policies of no-detention up to Class V and abolition of English at the primary level soon after the Left Front came to power in 1977.

These two measures in the education front triggered widespread protest and public outcry, which eventually forced the government to introduce English from class II only last year although the no detention policy was being still followed.

The state government never fails to claim its coverage of 70 per cent in the health sector, but the quality of service and appalling conditions in state hospitals and health centers clearly demonstrate the government's failure.

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The opposition termed the prolonged Left Front rule as a "failure".

"It is a rule which has been kept by subverting democracy. It is litany of failures. There is no single field in which Left Front can claim spectacular success," said Trinamool Congress spokesman Saugata Roy.

But analysts say that a divided opposition riddled with factionalism and differences and a split in the anti-Left votes largely helped the Left Front to capitalise on the situation in the successive elections in the past three decades.