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A political showdown in India – anti-communists join hands to uproot communists from West Bengal
A political showdown between communists and non-communists is about to happen in the West Bengal state of India. Since early seventies communists have ruled this state without any interruption winning election after election. Even BJP has given up hopes in the state.
Prospects of seat adjustments between the Congress and the Trinamul Congress for the civic polls appear to have brightened in the state. Trinamul Congress is officially a part of BJP led NDA coalition. NDA is a rival coalition to Congress led UPA. – the ruling coalition. But now the Congress and Trinamul Congress is planning to join hands to defeat the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI(M)) led Left Front.
Mamata Bannerjee, the former Railway Minsiter under BJP led NDA coalition is silently tending towards approving such a seat adjustment and cooperation process between her part Trinamul Congress and the main Congress.
It will not be easy to defeat the Communists in West Bengal. Their influence and grass root organization extends to every inch of the state. They are specially strong in the rural sectors. Even in the cities they are strong. The Chief Minisiter of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, succeeded power from legendary Jyoti Basu who was Chief Minsiter for a long time till he retired.
Interestingly, West Bengal and the Left Front have a lot of influence on Indian politics today. The Left Front influenced and was instrumental in passing the recent Product Patent Law required as part of India’s membership to World Trade Organization.
The BJP and Congress both are in favor of supply side economics, privatization of Government owned and controlled Indian industry and financial institutions. The Left front opposes the same. The Left Front has become popular in India with more than 60 seats in the Parliament. They are instrumental in keeping Congressled UPA in power.
According to a popular daily in Kolkata: Congress MP from Raigunge Priya Ranjan Das Munshi has urged workers from his party and the Trinamul to join hands and defeat the ruling CPM. He also suggested that Subrata Mukherjee be projected as both parties’ candidate for mayor.
Former chief minister Siddhartha Shankar Ray, too, has asked the parties to put up a united fight.
State Congress sources admitted that pressure has been mounting on the leadership to forge an alliance with the Trinamul. “We have been getting feelers from party functionaries in different districts…. As things stand, we can hardly prevent the emergence of such an alliance at the grassroots level,” a party functionary said.
Mamata is also facing criticism in her own party for still holding on to the BJP. Two mayor-in-council members of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation have even decided to opt out of the fray if Mamata continues ties with the NDA.
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