People's Democracy

JYOTI BASU’S WRITINGS RELEASED

AT KOLKATA BOOK FAIR

STATE secretary of the Bengal unit of the CPI(M), Anil Biswas released last week the fifth volume of Jyoti Basu’s writings. The first volume was released in 2002 also at the Kolkata Book Fair.

The volume contains a wide array of Jyoti Basu’s writings and speeches, in rallies, in conventions, in meetings, and on the floor of the Bengal assembly.  It also features a wealth of photographs of Jyoti Basu, vintage and contemporary. Published by the National Book Agency, the book has an editorial board headed by central committee member of the CPI(M), Shyamal Chakraborty.

“Politics as I understand it over a political life extending over six-and-a-half decades,’ said Jyoti Basu on the occasion of the book release, “is never a bed of roses.” The CPI(M) leader who is all of 92 years pointed out “I started my political career back in the days when I headed the London Majlis of Indian students in England — a forum where I met and interacted with students and leaders bearing a wide range of political beliefs.”

Jyoti Basu was hardly in a reminiscent mood, and he jumped right into the maelstroms of contemporary politics, in India, and in Bengal.  Chastising the BJP and the Congress for having let the country down, Jyoti Basu gave a short but succinct analysis of the dynamics of achievements of the Bengal Left Front government.  He concluded by saying that he would be proud to witness the emergence of the seventh consecutive Left Front government in Bengal, come the assembly elections.

In a very brief address of a few minutes that nevertheless drew rounds of applause, Anil Biswas made two important points.  First, the CPI(M) would like to ‘give our word’ to Jyoti Basu that there would assuredly be a triumphant return to office of the seventh Left Front government.  Second, the fifth volume of Jyoti Basu’s writings would not be the last one since Basu remained amidst the people and went on contributing in a meaningful way through his moving pen.

CPI(M) general secretary, Prakash Karat described Jyoti Basu’s political life as dedicated to the cause of democracy and he pointed that Jyoti Basu had contributed in a significant manner to the organisation and leadership of the movements and struggle to strengthen democracy in India.

Prakash Karat described Jyoti Basu as perhaps the only communist leader in the world who would remain in the helm of an elected government for such a long period of time. According to Karat, Jyoti Basu’s greatest contribution was to apply the tenets of Marxism to parliamentary democracy.

Later speaking on the topic of ‘Marxism and Democracy,’ Prakash Karat said that it is the communists who had been and are still consistently working to extend, deepen, and strengthen democracy.  The three centres of communist movement, Kerala, Tripura, and Bengal exemplified the role of the communists in this matter. He said that a complete democracy could never be set in the presence of inequality and exploitation.  A full democracy is only envisaged when class exploitation and social repression end.

Prakash Karat spoke about the desperate and armed efforts of US imperialism of late to extend the hegemony of finance capital and said that the US would cite this onerous effort as a ‘strive for worldwide democracy.’

Citing examples from the recent history, Prakash Karat said that from Guatemala to Palestine to Iraq, the US imperialists were willing enough to bring down the scourge of invasion and killing whenever any dissenting voice was heard. The US was also willing and eager to pressurise democratically-elected government’s to toe the Washington line to the exclusion of other considerations.

All this, said the CPI(M) leader, put democracy worldwide under great strain.  Referring to the long experience of communists of working within a democratic set up here in India, the speaker said the high percentage of popular participation in elections in the three states of Kerala, Tripura, and Bengal proved how democracy was flourishing here.  Prakash Karat concluded to say that this was made a possibility thanks to the long heritage of class and mass struggles in the three states.     

(B P)