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Desperate Left woos Congress

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Desperate Left woos Congress

During the Left’s 34-year-rule in Bengal, the Congress was one of the chief Opposition parties. The Left was lambasted by the Opposition for its anti-people economic policies. Following the debacles in parliamentary election in 2009 and assembly polls in 2011, the Left Front as well as the CPI(M) have been losing their relevance. They have become marginalized in both national and state politics. This has compelled the Left to consider the prospects of entering into an alliance with the Congress. One would have to wait till the elections to find if such an alliance—provided it materializes–can help the Left regain its lost political ground and its credibility.
At a recent rally in Singur which was attended by over 1.5 lakh people, former chief minister Budhhadeb Bhattacharrya said, “If the factory had come up here, the future would have been different for the state. But from Singur to Salbani, none of it materialized. Only darkness prevailed, only the silence of a crematorium… When the Trinamool goes, there will be renewed drive for industry.”
Bhattacharyya asked thrice if the Congress would support the Left to dislodge the ruling Trinamool Congress government.
It appeared that the CPI(M) lacked confidence with regard to the public support it enjoys at present.
The economic condition of Singur portrays the failure of the Left Front government. After having ruled the state for over three decades, the Left still failed to bring about economic and industrial development in the beleaguered state. Had the Left been successful in getting the Tata Group set up and run the Nano factory in Singur, Bengal’s economic scenario would have been very different.
It’s time the CPI(M) looked within itself, made a thorough soul-searching and addressed the factors that led to its decline and consequently to the rise of the Trinamool. The leadership should apologize for the blunders committed by the party during its rule. The CPI(M) must come up with innovative policies to provide better economic governance and develop education and health sectors.
The party that once dominated Bengal politics must remember that it is only by welcoming investors and setting up industry that the problem of unemployment can be tackled in the state. The measures envisaged by the Left to address the problems plaguing the state should form the basis of its election campaigns.
Merely Mamata-bashing and allying with the Congress would be of no help. The CPI(M)’s policy of acquiring political power by any means, even if that means compromising on the ideology of the party, is unlikely to reap dividends in the upcoming assembly elections.


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