Subdued Left Front marks 33-year landmark in West Bengal

The Left Front knows that its days in Writers Buildings, the seat of power in West Bengal, are numbered. Yet, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee made a desperate attempt to encourage party workers to turn the tide in the state.

The occasion was not lost on anybody. It was a mass rally to celebrate the completion of 33 years of Left rule in the state. But everybody on the podium and in the audience knew the landmark won’t be observed next year.

The occasion called for some fiery speechmaking, and the leaders tried their best to lift the sagging morale of embattled Front soldiers. Buddhadeb spelt out his agenda for the remaining few months in power: Speed up social development projects and encourage CPI(M) workers to get ready for the “final battle”.

“We have lots of work to do. We have to correct our mistakes. At the same time, we have to prepare ourselves for lots of struggle to counter the opposition, which is a combination of extreme rightist forces like Trinamool and Maoists. This is the time to hold our heads high and march ahead,” Buddhadeb told a gathering of 20,000 supporters. The event was held at a stadium in Kolkata.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose’s speech was more of the same. “We’ve had successes and failures in 33 years of Left rule. But, the opposition is trying to mislead people by saying that we’ve done nothing for the state. We will have to work at the grassroots level and win back the confidence of the people,” he said.

All India Forward Bloc state secretary Ashoke Ghosh made subtle attempts to convince Front workers that even a defeat in the 2011 assembly elections won’t mean an end of the Left Front. “There is no reason to get disheartened. Imperialistic forces have made several attempts in the past to unseat the Left. But we are still there.”