People's Democracy

THE Left Front government is crossing its 25th year of existence in West Bengal. This is a mystery to many, that within the framework of capitalist system how such a government of the left parties could exist for such a long time. As the capitalist system is incapable of tackling the basic problems of the people, in the capitalist countries around the world, and in general everywhere, anti-establishment mood is prevailing among the people. Whether right or wrong, people do not want to see the old regime again in power.

On the other hand, since 1977, in each and every election, the Left Front is maintaining more than two thirds majority in the assembly. Within the framework of Indian constitution, the Left Front government cannot implement the programme of socialism, not even the programme of People’s Democracy and is bound to implement the programmes and policies adopted by the government of India.

West Bengal has a long tradition of democratic movement. The role of West Bengal in the independence struggle requires special mention, because of its three fold activities. As a part of the independence struggle, on the one hand, terrorist movement developed predominantly which ultimately developed into the left movement, on the other hand trade union, peasant, student struggles etc. were also developed.

After independence, this tradition was continued in the state. The state developed further its anti-imperialist, anti-exploitation, anti-authoritarian and anti-communal position on each and every occasion. This helped the working people to take proper class position in such situations. Not only this, to conduct the struggles against the offensives of the government and the reactionary forces, the concept of uniting the left parties had also developed and from it flowed the tradition of a left front. United CPI, and later CPI (M) after its formation, took the leading role in all such moves.

The development of class and mass movement in West Bengal helped to remove Congress from the state government. In 1967 a United Front government was formed with the left parties along with some anti-Congress bourgeois parties. But this government could not last long because of internal contradictions and the conspiracy of the Congress government at the centre. A strong movement was also developed against this action of the central government. Again in 1969, another United Front government was formed, this time with a stronger position of the Left in the government. However, this government was also toppled within few months. After this, a high level conspiracy to divide the left forces started and it was successful. In 1971, left forces fought amongst themselves. Even then, the left parties could form the government, but it was not possible mainly due to the attitude of certain left parties and the conspiracy of the central government. Despite all this, CPI (M) achieved the top position in the election but was not called to form the government. Then came the rigged election of 1972.

As a matter of fact oppression and terror, perpetrated on all-India scale during the dark days of emergency had been inflicted on West Bengal since the early seventies. The state terrorism showed its ugliest form in the farcical state assembly election in 1972, which was totally rigged by semi-fascist goons and anti-socials of Congress, backed by the police and central para-military forces. Political workers were evicted forcibly from their localities. Police and Congress backed anti-socials killed thousands of political activists especially those belonging to left parties.

Trade union workers were retrenched; they were forcibly stopped from entering their work place. These included factory workers, office staff, teachers, students, peasants, lawyers and even doctors. Offices of the left parties, its class and mass organisations were forcibly captured by the Congress anti-socials. There was a planned strategy to paralyse and physically annihilate leftist strongholds in the state. Universities and educational institutions became the centre of activities of Congress backed anti-socials, who were roaming around as students. ‘Mass copying’ was institutionalised and education system was virtually paralysed. The common and poor people including workers, farmers and marginal farmers had a torrid time facing high price rise and loss of jobs and they also lost the right to raise their voices against the ongoing disorder.

In the 1977 assembly elections, the people gave a fitting reply to the 20 month long emergency rule which were the worst days of indignity and humiliation for the people, by throwing out the Congress lock, stock and barrel from the state. Since then the people of West Bengal have been reposing their faith in the Left Front government uninterruptedly.

In 1967, when we were in the United Front governments in Kerala and West Bengal, the central committee of the party after discussion adopted the resolution ‘The New Situation and Party’s Task’, where the scope and limitations of such state governments in implementing the class policies had been analysed. The resolution stated, "In class outlook, composition and in several other respects it is not an instrument that is suitable even for the implementation of a consistently democratic administration, let alone any class policies decisively directed against the vested interests."

The resolution further stated, "In a word, the UF governments that we have now are to be treated and understood as instrument of struggle in the hands of our people, more than a government that actually possess adequate power, that can materially and substantially give relief to the people. In clear class terms, our party’s participation in such governments is one specific form of struggle to win more and more people, and more and more allies for the proletariat and its allies in the struggle for the cause of People’s Democracy and at a later stage for socialism."

It can be said now after 25 years of Left Front rule, that we have been able to give remarkable relief to the people of the state. People understood that this could be done by the earlier Congress government also, but they did not, because of lack of political will on their part. What we could not achieve has also been told to people in unambiguous terms along with the reasons. People of the state have therefore understood from their experience of Left Front government in the state, that unlike bourgeois parties, the left parties do not give false promises, which cannot be achieved. This is a major demarcation.

The relief obtained have benefited mostly the landless, marginal farmers, working class, and artisans, poor and common man. In spite of the limited constitutional power and step-motherly treatment of the centre, the Left Front government has achieved tremendous success in agriculture, land reforms, registration of tenants, decentralisation of power through panchayats, developmental activities in rural areas etc. Nowhere in the country has land been distributed to landless on such a massive scale as was done in West Bengal. Most of the beneficiaries are from the scheduled caste and scheduled tribes category. More than 60 per cent of the agricultural land is now irrigated, leading to extensive use of fertilisers and high yield seeds. Remarkable success was also achieved in fish production.

Electricity was the main concern for the first Left Front government. There was a big gap between the demand and generation. This was due to the negligence and fault of the earlier Congress governments. The Left Front government has on a priority basis taken steps to meet this gap and increased the generating capacity through various means. Today we are generating surplus power. As a result of this effort of the Left Front government, the installed capacity of power generation in the state has increased from 1300 MW in 1977 to 7309 MW in 2001-2002. A new area of non-conventional energy has also been opened up and with a late start, West Bengal today, stood first in the country.

West Bengal is the most densely populated state in the country. Agricultural land is so small in relation to population that it cannot provide livelihood for majority of the people. So, industrialisation was a must in this state. After the adoption of Industrial Policy in 1956, the central government adopted a step-motherly attitude towards West Bengal and some other states. As a result, no new investment, neither in the public sector nor in the private sector was coming into West Bengal, leading to a sharp fall in the industrial production of the state.

The Left Front government, after coming to power, took initiative to industrialise the state. But because of the opposition from the centre, success in establishing large-scale industry was not possible during the first part of the Left Front rule. Recently with the withdrawal of certain authorities of the central government and the continuous effort of the Left Front government, the situation has changed in favour of West Bengal. Now, the investors are coming forward to invest in West Bengal. As the cottage & small scale sector was under the state control, the Left Front government has, within a short period, recorded its success in developing this sector which now stands first in the country.

In the overall development, which includes agriculture, industry, services and infrastructure, the position of West Bengal is second among all the states in the country. This is achieved because people’s participation was ensured in every developmental sphere and also the basic rights of the workers, peasants and people in general of the state were ensured.

The percentage of population living below poverty line has come down from 54 in earliest eighties, to less than 26 per cent now.

During the last decade, the growth of agricultural production in the state has been the highest among other states in the country. This has resulted in higher purchasing power in the rural areas and reduction of migration of labour from rural to urban areas. In the literacy, infant mortality rate, population control, West Bengal stands in the forefront in the country.

West Bengal stands as a rare example to the whole of the country, where communal and caste violence had never been allowed to raise their ugly heads. Even during the worst days of communal violence against the Sikhs in 1984, or in the communal violence triggered by BJP through its so-called Ayodhya movement, West Bengal remained a shining example of communal harmony and it still remains so in spite of provocations and instigations by the communal forces. After the publication of the report of ‘Mandal Commission’ no violence took place in West Bengal.

In the interest of the people of the state and country, the Left Front government has always provided leadership in raising the issue of restructuring of centre-state relations. In each and every all India forum, the issue was pressed and many other states also participated in that. Actually, the issue took the shape of a movement, where Congress led states and states run by even some allies of NDA also participated under the leadership of Left Front.

It is true that because of the above achievements, people of the state have become vigorously conscious of their rights and aspirations when compared to what it was 25 years back. With the limited constitutional rights and limited financial capacities it is becoming difficult for the Left Front government to satisfy the justified aspirations of the people. At the same time, a new form of attacks are coming from the central government, in the name of restructuring of economy, which makes the Left Front government incapable to continue even the relief which was being provided earlier.

It is also true that there is a big difference in composition and character between the former UF government and the present Left Front government. The present government is more stable and because of its left character, can serve the class interest better than before by providing more relief to the people. Even then the analysis made in the document ‘New Situation and Task’ is valid for the existing LF government too.

From our experience of past 25 years, it has been observed that the Left Front while running its government had to regularly face non-cooperation, obstruction and conspiracies of the central government. During the first half of the Left Front rule, there was non-cooperation and obstruction created by the central government and the ruling party, which disturbed the developmental activities of the Left Front government. The purpose was to rouse the people against the Left Front and defeat them through the elections. But soon they realised that people are behind the Left Front. Then the reactionary forces started high-level conspiracies to topple the Left Front government. Keshpur is the fittest example of such conspiracy where TMC, BJP, PWG, government of India, National Human Rights Commission etc were directly involved.

The Left Front government in West Bengal, while providing relief to the people, also provided democratic rights to the workers, peasants and to the people in general. The policy of the Left Front government is not to intervene in the trade union and democratic struggles. Being inspired with this policy, numerous struggles of the workers, peasants and the democratic people against imperialist conspiracies, against the economic restructuring policy of the central government, against the attacks of the reactionary forces, against the communal and divisive forces, for protecting their economic interests, in support of Left Front etc were conducted. The struggles were so fierce that 3500 comrades had to lay down their lives in these struggles. Through these struggles the consciousness of the toiling masses developed, which in turn is helping us to bring changes in the co-relation of class forces in the society. Otherwise, by only depending on relief activities, and without acting as an instrument for struggles, the Left Front government could not have avoided the anti-establishment anger of the people and it would not have been possible for them to continue for such a long period.

Finally, we are to consider the success of the Left Front government in terms of changes in the correlation of class forces. In this connection, the votes obtained by the Left Front in the assembly elections have been provided in the table.

Considering the feature of deep economic crisis, anti-establishment trend among the people and reduction of capabilities for relief, it can be said that the figures are not discouraging. Figures show that during the first 3 elections support for the Left Front increased, but after that there was some decline in votes in favour of the Left Front. This marginal decline in electoral support is due to the floating voters mainly. The reason is that during the first 3 elections, people’s aspirations were less but the capacity to give relief was more. During the later part, people’s aspirations roused but the capacity of the Left Front to give relief declined. That is why the role of the Left Front government cannot be confined within relief and development only; they are to assist in organising struggles for developing consciousness of the toiling masses.

Even in such negative situation, it has been possible to change correlation of class forces in our favour. We are sure that some more attention on our part will give us better result in coming days.