Condolence Meeting in New Delhi : Lal Salaam to Comrade Jyoti Basu

By G Mamatha

THE condolence meeting organised by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist ) in New Delhi on January 27, 2010 to pay homage to Comrade Jyoti Basu witnessed a unanimous declaration of the people, and of all the leaders of the political parties who attended the meeting, that Comrade Jyoti Basu was not just a leader of the CPI(M) and the Left Front but a leader of the entire country. He was a great leader who was a guide to all the secular, democratic and progressive forces in the country.

The venue of the meeting, Mavlankar Hall, overflowed with people belonging to all walks of life – workers, employees, teachers, students and youth. The meeting began with paying floral tributes to Comrade Jyoti Basu. Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M) presided over the meeting. Prakash Karat, general secretary of the CPI(M), A B Bardhan (general secretary of CPI), Abani Roy (leader of RSP), Debabrata Biswas (general secretary of All India Forward Bloc) were present on the dais along with union ministers Pranab Mukherjee (Congress) and Farooq Abdullah (National Conference), Mulayam Singh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), D P Tripati (Nationalist Congress Party), Ramchandra Paswan (Lok Janashakti Party), T K S Elangovan (DMK), Sharad Yadav (Janata Dal -United), Nama Nageshwar Rao (Telugu Desam Party) N Chaluvaraya Swami (Janata Dal -Secular), Dr V Maithreyan (AIADMK), Charanjit Singh Atwal (Shiromani Akali Dal), Joseph Toppo (Asom Gana Parishad) and Mahendra Pandey (Polit Bureau member of the United Marxist Leninist Party of Nepal). CPI(M) Polit Bureau members M K Pandhe, S Ramachandran Pillai and Brinda Karat were also present on the dais.

Addressing the meeting Prakash Karat said Comrade Jyoti Basu was one of the tallest leaders of the communist movement in the country. The Left Front government under his leadership adopted major pro-people policies like land reforms, which led to 1.1 million acres of land being distributed to 25 lakh landless and marginal farmers and 15 lakh bargadars (sharecroppers) being registered and provided security of tenure. The democratisation of the three-tier panchayat system was carried on through decentralisation of powers under his leadership. Much before the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments, West Bengal showed the way in democratising the panchayat system. Jyoti Basu symbolised the firm adherence to secularism not only in West Bengal but in the entire country. The whole country praised the firm stand of Jyoti Basu which prevented any attack on the Sikh minority in West Bengal after the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi.

Jyoti Basu played an important role in the anti- imperialist struggles, especially against the US war in Vietnam, for Bangladesh liberation, against the blockade of Cuba and against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian areas.

Prakash Karat recalled that when he met Comrade Jyoti Basu in December last, he expressed concern over the lack of growth of the Party beyond the three strongholds of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura and said that the movement is facing a tough time and the troubles have to be faced with greater efforts. He appealed to the participants to work for fulfilling the aims for which Comrade Jyoti Basu dedicated his whole life.

Mulayam Singh Yadav said Comrade Jyoti Basu was a very popular leader, respected even by his worst enemies. He said Jyoti Basu never compromised with his ideology and added that had he become the prime minister of the country, the nation would have treaded a different path.

A B Bardhan, while paying homage, recalled that when there was one paisa hike in the fares of the Calcutta tramway, Comrade Jyoti Basu led a big struggle against it which continued for many days. One should follow such examples in forging struggles against the skyrocketing prices of the present day.

Pranab Mukherjee said Comrade Jyoti Basu was the rarest of the rare leaders who made a great contribution to the country as a whole as a national leader, although he was based in the state politics. He said he was a great son of India, one who moved like a veritable colossus in the arena of national politics. Comrade Jyoti Basu had a very pragmatic approach to issues. Pranab Mukherjee recalled how Comrade Jyoti Basu intervened when a controversy arose regarding the interpretation of the constitution vis-à-vis the role of the head of the coalition government in the late 1960s, which remains relevant even today.

Farooq Abdullah said that the country has lost a father in the passing away of Comrade Jyoti Basu.

Sharad Yadav said that the path chosen by Comrade Jyoti Basu was the path of justice and we miss his presence especially when injustice against the downtrodden is increasing by the day.

Charanjit Singh Atwal said that the entire Sikh community is grateful to Comrade Jyoti Basu for his deft handling of the situation, which saw that there was no loss of life or property of the Sikhs in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots after the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi.

Chaluvaraya Swamy expressed his gratitude to Comrade Jyoti Basu for making a Kannadiga the prime minister of the country.

Dr V Maithreyan said Comrade Jyoti Basu was a leader of the masses with a great vision, one who implemented the unprecedented land reforms in the country.

D P Tripati said Comrade Jyoti Basu rose above all the positions that he held and was a beacon of hope for the common people in the country.

T S Elangovan remarked Comrade Jyoti Basu was a champion of the peasants, agricultural workers and the working class. He was a true democrat.

Nama Nageshwar Rao said Comrade Jyoti Basu was a great statesman who initiated many pro-people reforms.

Abani Roy and Debabrata Biswas recalled the important contribution made by Comrade Jyoti Basu in the functioning of the Left Front in the country.

Concluding the condolence meeting, Sitaram Yechury said 61 years of Indian Republic and the 70 years of the political life of Comrade Jyoti Basu are closely connected. He was one of the builders of modern India. Comrade Jyoti Basu was a brave fighter who courageously faced the trials and tribulations in his political life. Quoting an Urdu couplet, “ Yeh na poocho zindagi mein kitne pal hain, yeh poocho har pal mein kitni zindagi hai,” Yechury said Comrade Jyoti Basu lived his life thoroughly.

The meeting concluded with the passing of a condolence resolution and observing silence for a minute in the memory of Comrade Jyoti Basu.

‘We Will Continue on Comrade Jyoti Basu’s Path’

Pledge taken in Kolkata Condolence Meeting

KOLKATA, 24th January, 2010: THE last journey of Comrade Jyoti Basu was marked by an unprecedented gathering of mourners, literally flooding the Kolkata streets. The respect and love for this stalwart of Left movement was once again proved when thousands of people assembled at the Shahid Minar on Sunday, 24 January 2010, just five days after the last journey, for the condolence meeting. In any account, more than one lakh people participated in the meeting, organised rather hurriedly by the Left Front.

Leaders from a wide spectrum of political parties, including the Left parties, Congress, RJD, BSP, SUCI and representatives from Nepal and Bangladesh paid their rich tributes to Comrade Jyoti Basu . The entire area of the meeting was decorated with posters, cut-outs and photos of Comrade Jyoti Basu. Some large photos of his were erected where the people paid their floral tributes in long queues. The backdrop of the stage was decorated with a famous quote of Basu: “It is the people who make history”. Biman Basu presided over the meeting and read out the condolence resolution.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat, in his speech said, of the many leaders who have contributed and made sacrifices for the Communist movement in India, Jyoti Basu was exemplary and one of the most distinguished. Karat said, “ Basu was the leader of the entire Left and democratic movement of the country. He was the voice of the toiling people and contributed immensely in establishing their rights.” Karat urged the people to continue in the path shown by Comrade Jyoti Basu to build stronger movements of the toiling masses.

West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya said, “While it is said of Communists that they are opposed to democracy, Jyoti Basu, in his life, fulfilled the duty of establishing democracy not just in West Bengal, but also in the country…Although he was sent to prison, he never sent his political opponents to jail; even if a law was unjust he never took the law into his own hands and he never took action against a newspaper for criticising him,” Bhattacharya said. Jyoti Basu’s first act as chief minister was to free all political prisoners, irrespective of party affiliation. West Bengal was also the first state to have a human rights commission. Comrade Jyoti Basu continuously endeavoured to establish and strengthen the system of parliamentary democracy in the state and in the country, Bhattacharya said. Comrade Jyoti Basu was exemplary in firmly establishing secularism. He brought the toiling people in the centre stage of politics. That will continue to be our path, he added.

Biman Basu outlined the political life of Comrade Jyoti Basu and said, “He correctly coordinated the struggle outside the legislature with the struggle within it.” One of Comrade Jyoti Basu’s major contributions was to bring into focus the question of centre-state relations, Biman Basu added.

Describing Basu as “the Communist voice of South Asia,” Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) leader Jhala Nath Khanal said Communists in Nepal, representing 60 per cent of the population, needed to emulate the example set by him in bringing different parties together.

Remembering the support extended to the people of Bangladesh by Basu during the 1971 independence struggle, Rashed Khan Menon, from Bangladesh Workers’ Party, spoke on the significant role played by him in forging India-Bangladesh ties. Sajjad Zahir Chandan of the Bangladesh Communist Party and Moinuddin Khan Badal of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal echoed his sentiments.

Ashok Ghosh (Forward Block), Manjukumar Majumdar (CPI), Khiti Goswami (RSP) , Pravash Ghosh (SUCI), Kartik Paul (CPI-ML), Brijesh Pathak (BSP) paid their tributes .

Subrata Mukherjee, working president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee said, “I have no hesitation in saying that he was perhaps the most important of the mass leaders who have achieved this stature.”

CPI(M) Polit Bureau members Sitaram Yechury, Mohammed Amin, Nirupam Sen and other senior leaders were present.

Condolence meetings are now being held in the districts.

Public meeting in memory of Basu planned

KOLKATA, 21st January, 2010: The Left Front in West Bengal is planning to organise a public meeting in memory of Jyoti Basu on Sunday. Faxed invites were being sent to leaders and dignitaries, Front chairman Biman Bose said. Leaders from the Communist Party of Pakistan would also be invited.

While participation in the meeting has been kept “open for everybody who loved Jyoti Basu,” indications are that all those who had come to enquire after the veteran leader at the hospital or offered condolences at any of the three designated places on January 19 would be welcomed.

In an oblique reference at a press conference as to whether Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was being invited, Mr. Bose said: “We are not going into any sort of divisiveness.”

The management and staff of the AMRI hospital, as well as the team of doctors who struggled to save the late leader’s life, were also welcome to join the meeting.

Basu breathed his last on January 17 after a gallant fight over 17 days.

“We cannot reach out to so many people but we would like all of them to attend the Sunday meeting,” a senior member of the CPI(M) connected with organising the meeting said.

Mr. Bose said that since leaders from the Communist Party of Pakistan and the Bangladesh Workers Party were being invited, he would urge the authorities to facilitate their visas.

Basu’s aide reminisces

At a condolence meeting organised here on Thursday, Joy Krishna Ghosh, Mr. Basu’s aide since the seventies, said the veteran leader always insisted that his security men should have the same food that he was offered while on tours. “He would enquire minutely to find out what we ate, to check whether a special sweet offered to him at a circuit house [while on tour] was given to his security staff too,” he said, reminiscing about the man he had known closely ever since he was appointed his confidential assistant in 1977.

The condolence meeting was organised by the Citizen’s Initiative along with the Rajasthan Maitri Parishad.

“The day I first took my chair he cautioned me,” Mr. Ghosh recalled. “This chair is tough and is lined with temptations; you have to be very careful. People do not come to the Secretariat when they are happy; they only come when they have problems. Try to help them, if you cannot, explain them your difficulties,” was the advice Basu gave.