Basu says he has been trying to quit since December

This time Basu seems more or less determined to call it a day. Asked if his decision was final, he said it was up to the Politburo to discuss the issue and sort it out. He declined to admit that his decision was the last word in the party.

Over the past few weeks, there has been speculation about Basu’s retirement, particularly as his engagement pad appears blank after September 15. If things go according to the plans drawn up internally, September 15 would be his last official engagement when he inaugurates Rabindra Bhavan in Bolpur, Santiniketan.

Basu himself is to be blamed for much of the confusion that has centered around his retirement. After his sudden indisposition during the Politburo meeting in New Delhi in July, Basu recovered to tell reporters: “A Marxist has to continue as long he can breathe.” Even after his return to Calcutta, he did not give any hint that he was stepping down. When asked about his retirement plans, Basu always says: “I will let you all know when I decide to retire.”

The only telltale sign is that his hours in office have been substantially reduced. At the most he spends an hour in office in the first half and retires to his Salt Lake home after 1 p.m. On some days he does not even turn up at Writers’ Buildings. However, he is reported to have told his partymen that his successor should be installed in office well before the next Assembly election because the people know he is not going to continue in the next term. “This would amount to betraying their trust,” an aide quoted Basu as saying.

Anil Biswas, the state secretary of the CPI(M), when contacted late in the evening, was evasive. He said the date and time of Basu’s retirement was not yet final. However, he made it clear that the issue would be raised in the next Politburo meeting which by all indications was to be held in Calcutta after H.K. Singh Surjeet’s return from China next week.

Once the Politburo approves of Basu’s retirement, it would be placed at the state committee and Left Front committee meetings — scheduled between September 10 and 14.

As things stand now, there seems no change in the plan to instal Deputy Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya as the chief minister. According to party sources, if everything goes as per schedule, Bhattacharya will take the oath of chief minister by the third week of September. Still, there are leaders in the party who continue to believe that Jyoti Basu is going to be there and reports about his retirement are “cooked up stories”.