The Rediff SpecialSurabhi Banerjee

Many of the Central Committee members had come to the meetings determined not to let Basu become prime minister because of personal rivalry and ideological differences

In May last year, Jyoti Basu, West Bengal's chief minister and one of the most respected politicians in this country, was on the verge of becoming India's first Communist prime minister. The United Front wanted him as its leader, but Basu's own party -- the Communist Party of India-Marxist -- would not allow him to be sworn in as prime minister.

In this extract from Basu's recent biography, Surabhi Banerjee reveals what really happened. A controversial decision that continues to convulse the CPI-M

V P Singh said publicly, 'Jyoti Basu is a towering figure in India's public life, a man who has proved his skill at consensus-building by leading a state-level coalition five times into power.'

The general feeling following the Central Committee's decision -- and this was borne out by conversations this writer had with several party members and other political analysts -- was that it was the age-old internal divisions within the party, and not the national interest that decided the issue. Many of the Central Committee members had come to the meetings determined not to let Basu become prime minister because of personal rivalry and ideological differences.

The morning after his return to Calcutta, Basu had a brief meeting with the chief secretary on the swearing-in ceremony of the state government that would take place on May 20. He glanced through the list of state invitees. Congratulations poured in all day from home and abroad on his returning to power in West Bengal, but there were also expressions of disappointment at his not being chosen the prime minister. He was unemotional in his response to both kinds of messages.

He visited the party office in the evening, met his comrades, and behaved normally, though it was obvious that he was not in good spirits. He analysed with his colleagues the results of the elections and worked on the agenda of the state committee meeting scheduled to be held on May 17. The next morning, he attended the meeting of the secretariat and discussed the appointments and portfolios of ministers in the new government.

The effect of his time in Delhi continued to subdue his mood; he was now starting to tire of providing explanations. Referring to the enquires he says, 'They don't understand one simple thing, I can't take a personal decision even if I wish to join the government. The majority in the party decided not to join. I had to accept the verdict.'

By the time the swearing-in of the West Bengal ministry took place on May 20, he was much happier. It was obvious that the Delhi debacle was receding from his mind. And then, on May 21, he received a message from the United Front in Delhi saying his presence was required in Delhi for the formation of a steering committee to advise the new government. Delhi detained him for a few days but he was back in Calcutta on the 24th, and presided over his first cabinet meeting on May 28.

In the following weeks, he was asked to be in Delhi frequently as the central cabinet tried to settle down, until he asked them to be a bit more practical. ''How can I commute between Delhi and West Bengal so frequently?'' he asked and requested the Front to keep him out of as many of the committees as they could.

The press continued to comment on the CPI-M's decision not to participate in the coalition at the Centre. The Front leaders and the other members of the Front expected that the CPI-M would reverse its decision and relent especially as the CPI had decided to join the coalition in the first week of June. The chief minister of Bihar, Laloo Prasad Yadav, said in Patna, 'They (the CPI-M) are taking a decision and will join the government within a month.'

Even V P Singh was confident that the CPI-M would soon join the Deve Gowda government. Welcoming the move of the CPI, he hoped that the CPI-M would follow suit. The Andhra Pradesh chief minister, Chandrababu Naidu, similarly urged them to join the government. 'The CPI-M leaders have worked hard to bring secular parties on a common platform and should reconsider their decision. The TDP also favours joining the government,' he said in Hyderabad.

Newspaper editorials suggested the same, feeling that the CPI move offered the CPI-M a fresh opportunity to make up for its earlier bungling and call the shots in national politics.

At this time it became clear that a view was being put out by a section of the CPI-M that Basu had been a willing party to the decision by the Central Committee and the Politburo to refrain from joining the United Front government. Basu did not react to the opinion being bandied about.

Excerpted from Jyoti Basu, by Surabhi Banerjee, Viking, 1997, Rs 400, with the publisher's permission.

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