Big Brother CPM awaits a chance, allies feel Basu’s absence

In the transitory phase of Bengal’s politics and government, an ally was perhaps trying to drive home a point — the importance of preserving Basu’s legacy of coalition governance. The sanctity and dignity of the chair of the chief minister may not be as sacrosanct as it had been for the past 24 years, as Bhattacharya inherits a throne which probably faces its worst challenge ever. “For obvious reasons, Bhattacharya will never make the amicable arbitrator that Basu was, the essence of a coalition lasting so long,” says a bureaucrat.

The principal threat of increasing interference comes from the CPI(M) itself. Alimuddin Street, its headquarters, has long achieved in Writers’ Buildings, what Jhandewalan has not in New Delhi. Having scrutinised the results of the 1998 and 1999 Lok Sabha polls and the so-called “setbacks,” Alimuddin Street decided to have a greater say on Writers’ Buildings. The party’s state committee’s findings that the performance of a number of departments fell far short of public expectations was accepted by the Central Committee.

A remedy was suggested, too. In the past two years, the party’s ministers have been called at Alimuddin Street at least twice and told to ensure better performance, more pace in the movement of files and greater accountability for employees. The ministers were given questionnaires relating to their departments and a decision taken that every six months, Alimuddin Street would review individual minister’s performance.

Though the time table has not been maintained as strictly, all these monitoring steps were taken with Basu’s growing distance from the government. Party insiders say that the level of monitoring would increase several fold with the departure of Basu. The ruling coterie in Alimuddin Street is said to be busy choosing its men who would be attached to Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. It would substantially reduce the chief minister’s independence in decision-making, apart from ensuring a greater leverage to the party in matters of transfers and postings.

Handling of the bureaucracy is yet another grey zone for Bhattacharya. Basu combined his personality and pragmatism to keep senior bureaucrats under a tight leash. Under Basu’s rule it was the result which evidently counted more than personal track records. Bhattacharya is known for his rigidity to look for men with clean records rather than their ability to deliver. In the process he has earned more enemies than loyals within the state’s police administration, who given the slightest opportunity would not hesitate to sabotage.

His handling of the Home portfolio particularly has left much to be desired. The violence in south Bengal districts and his continued failure to contain those is a case in point. The situation in north Bengal also seems to be gradually slipping out of control with a separatist movement fast gaining ground and the degree of violence increasing rapidly.

Finance and industry are two other areas where Bhattacharya would be predictably uncomfortable. Despite having the best of relations with the captains of industry and the desperation for a revival, Basu has not been able to give Bengal an industrial resurgence in trade and commerce. For Bhattacharya, it will be a domain to be cultivated anew and he has a long way to go before he earns the confidence of the industry.