The former communist leader and Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, top West Bengal Congress leaders, civil right activist Teesta Setalvad and several intellectuals and authors gathered under at common platform to launch a massive attack on the Modi government and its driving force the RSS – as “fascist forces are out to destroy the secular and democratic fabric of India.” But beyond the rhetoric of a debate that discussed Pandit Nehru and his legacy – many of the participants saw in the combination a viable political alternative to the present rulers in West Bengal as well. The CPM sent a huge delegation of about 15 of its top leaders to the meeting this evening. The estranged TMC leader – Mukul Roy was also present as was leaders of Janata Dal (U), West Bengal unit, RJD and other marginalized political forces. One of the participants said on conditions of anonymity that a Mahagathbandhan for the ensuing state assembly polls is the ultimate goal of this exercise. For instance, Somnath Chatterjee speaking on the occasion said: “And at a time when there is more and more talk of the Congress and the CPM coming together in an alliance, Chatterjee seemed to keen on taking the idea forward and said: “all stakeholders in our democracy have to work unitedly with dedication, commitment, cooperation and self discipline to find lasting solutions to safeguard our democracy from tremendous strains experienced today.” Describing Jawaharlal Nehru as "one of the tallest leaders of India and the chief architect of modern India," Chatterjee went on to warn that the present "polity is fractured on religious, caste, regional and linguistic basis and influenced by confrontational politics." The former Speaker of Lok Sabha said, "Confrontational politics is greatly weakening out democratic structure and simultaneously stifling the country’s progress and there is need for reversing the process." "Most alarming, intolerance, divisiveness, corruption confrontations and disrespect for dissent are increasingly vitiating our socio-political system,” he added. One of the state general secretaries of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee and also an AICC member, Professor O P Mishra – the organizer of the day’s seminar to commemorate Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s 125 birth anniversary - described how the party’s West Bengal state president, Adhir Chowdhury, had offered to quit his MP seat in Berhampore in Murshidabad district asking Chatterjee to contest from there and win it. He said a political alternative to the present set up has to be found in Bengal. Teesta Setalvad, the civil rights activist talking on the occasion underlined the significance of “the Bihar moment” – (the Bihar polls results to be precise) and said that all forces cutting across their political lines and affiliations should take a lesson from it. She regretted the way the present rulers were "Psychologically hounding people out. There has to be a social army to fight the RSS – an organization that she described as having collaborated with colonial powers not the freedom struggle of India," she said. She was also critical about the media and said, "Barring a small section of the print media – the electronic media and television channels are largely owned by big corporate houses and the media will not be interested in fighting the dangers."
