PRAGOTI

With our beloved JB breathing his last it is definitely the end of an era. It is even difficult to imagine someone being a person to reckon with politically after having spent almost seven decades in active politics from the freedom struggle till his last days. Condolences and respects are flowing in from all political quarters. Come Tuesday and the people of Bengal will march with their own Jyoti Babu for the last time. How should we as communists react to this historic moment in time?
 

Jyoti Basu was nearly 96 when he breathed his last yesterday. For someone who was born in 1979 such as myself, it is difficult to say or write anything about this legendary communist who ruled as the uninterrupted chief minister of the longest running elected government, provincial or otherwise in the world, for 23 years (1977-2000) before calling it a day. Jyoti Basu's reign coincided with a time before I reached my "political maturation", so to speak, but there are vignettes that I remember about this leader which are enough to provide a rough image of his legend for me. 

In the general elections 2009, BJP had a distinct advantage in Jharkhand. The party won 8 out of total 14 Lok Sabha seats and planned to win a clear majority in the state assembly elections. The assembly results, however, came out to be a rude and shocking retreat for the BJP that too when circumstances absolutely favoured it. And for insiders, this turnaround is neither unexpected nor undesired.

In a shameful move, the pussyfooted, US-business-and-power-worshipping Congress led government of India has laid the stones for yet another grave injustice a la Bhopal; this time in a potential future Chernobyl or a Three Mile Island like nuclear disaster possible in sites featuring imported reactors from the United States.