Homage to the People’s Leader Jyoti Basu

By Amitava Basu: Born in 1914, the people’s leader, Jyoti Basu, passed away at 11.47 a.m. on January 17th 2010. Schooled in Loreto and Saint Xaviers at Kolkata, he studied in Presidency College, one of the most prestigious colleges in the country. After graduating in English, on advice of his father, Jyoti Basu went to England, at the age of 22, to study law. At England, like many other Indians, Jyoti Basu was impressed by the activities of the Communist Party of Great Britain and was inspired by great communist leaders such as Rajani Palme Dutt, Harry Pollit and others. He participated in communist activities and in his own words “more time was spent in communist work than in studies”. After passing law, he returned to India, but did not take up the law practice. He joined politics as a communist party worker and was actively involved in organising workers movement at port, railways and industrial establishments.

In 1946, Jyoti Basu was elected for the first time to the legislative assembly of undivided Bengal. Thereafter, he continued to be elected member of the state legislative assembly and was the leader of the opposition. 31 years after his first entry into the state legislative assembly, Jyoti Basu became the chief minister of West Bengal and continued in this position for 23 years. In 2000, Jyoti Basu, on his own, resigned from the chair of chief minister because his health was not permitting him to carry out his work. This is a rare feat of supreme superior quality, while in present day politics of the country clinging on to power at any cost is an almost common phenomenon.

During his 95 years of life Jyoti Basu has left indelible marks on the sands of time. It is not merely that he had the longest tenure as chief minister in the country. He smoothly ran a coalition government of multiple parties for more than two decades and was accepted as the undisputed leader by the coalition partners. He successfully demonstrated how to run a coalition government which was a new experiment in Indian politics. Also, Jyoti Basu translated the concept of empowering the people into reality by introducing land reforms and instituting Bargadar system of giving land rights to the landless and the tillers. The land reforms initiated by him have largely improved the rural economy of West Bengal and has become a model for others to follow. Besides, it was during his chief ministership that the first panchayat level elections were held in West Bengal, which subsequently led to firm establishment of panchayati raj system in the State, and has become another ideal model to others. Even as an administrator, Jyoti Basu proved his ability. When many parts of the country were witnessing violence after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, there was no untoward incident in West Bengal and people of all community lived in peace.

His political sagacity, administrative ability, leadership quality and pragmatism made him acceptable to national leaders of all parties. In 1996, Jyoti Basu was offered the post of prime minister of the country. His party did not allow him to accept the offer. As a disciplined party worker, Jyoti Basu followed the party directions, though at a later date he admitted that declining the offer of prime ministership was a 'historical mistake', which it was indeed for- the left movement, his own party and the country.

Unlike many of his comrades, Jyoti Basu was neither a theoretician, nor a mere leader of the party. He was a leader of the people. Though brought up in formal British education, system he never lost touch with ground reality. He had the natural instinct to feel the pulse of the people Dressed in traditional Bengali dhoti-punjabi, Jyoti Basu spoke the language that encompassed and expressed the feelings of the people, understandable by all and inspired all. Jyoti Basu transcended from politician to statesman; from provincial leader to national leader, from party leader to people’s leader. With his demise the last member of the first politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) consisting of navratnas is lost. But, Jyoti Basu will be remembered forever by the people irrespective of political beliefs and ideologies as gentleman politician, 'Jyoti Babu'. The writer is a Development Practitioner based in New Delhi