Cold warrior in print

Never mind columnists, communists like the phoenix will always rise from the ashes

Saubhik Chakrabarti8217;s piece, 8216;Just 3 more years in India?8217; IE, June 22, on the Left Front8217;s uninterrupted rule in West Bengal, makes him sound like a die-hard cold warrior. The type who gets provoked by the very existence of communists on the planet. There is excessive anger in the piece, the kind that was visible in some Left intellectuals over Nandigram.

The story of the West Bengal8217;s government8217;s longevity is the story of how a regime and an ideology have managed to sustain its popularity and ensure its durability. It is no ordinary feat that communists have been elected and re-elected so often in a democracy. In fact, it is a tribute to Indian democracy and a solid achievement of Leftism in India. In these times of media hype, when chief ministers of ramshackle governments celebrate their six months in power with full-page advertisements, the Left Front8217;s refusal to play the image game is praiseworthy. But the fact is that the Left Front8217;s achievement deserves the strongest applause.

As a fan of Saubhik Chakrabarti8217;s frank writing, I would only say this to him: 8220;Please do remain a 8216;doomsayer8217; for the Left. Why don8217;t you, for a change, 8216;boom8217; about the Left8217;s achievements occasionally?That will only make your writing more balanced.8221;

Happy days have never really been here for the Left. But in these post-Nandigram days, even many Communist intellectuals are predicting that the government8217;s days are numbered. But communism, as 8216;you8217; know, is like the phoenix. It has emerged from the ashes on several occasions. And now even cold warriors say that the world may have been better off if the communist regimes had not crumbled and disappeared like they did. At least they would have managed their respective regions well.

Several people say the Left has committed many wrongs. But the successful steering of West Bengal for 30 years cannot be seen as a 8216;wrong8217;. Land was given to the landless, dead panchayats were revived, women got their rights and even Calcutta got electricity.

Given this record, to simply curse the communists is not fair. There is anger in Chakrabarti8217;s piece. It brings to mind the Hindi film song: 8220;Pyaar par gussa karte ho, tera gussa hamko pyaara hai/ yahi adaa to qaatil hai, jisne hamko maara hai.8221;

The writer is a professor in Delhi University