Madhav Desai

Born on 8th July 1914, Jyoti Basu was a comrade like no other. More I read facts about him, I find him to be more a hardcore Communist . His later political career was full of ups and downs, and he was one person who messed up the industries of Bengal with his Soci-Communist thinking.

Jyoti Basu

Not many of us know but while many in Congress were not sure how to treat Sonia Gandhi (as a foreigner or a citizen), Jyoti Basu accepted her in politics and even openly backed her nullifying all “foreigner” claims. Something he probably learnt from St. Xavier’s.

Something is really not working for Communists / Left in India. Débâcle after Débâcle is making Left weaker and weaker. Not that its bad, I have always seen LEFT Parties in India as slightly disoriented lot. If Left in India managed to win more seats in both local and national elections, then India would have registered its first negative growth in some 20 years of its history.

Generally Indians in small towns and village (that’s about 70% of Indians) don’t really know what Left or Right or Centre really is. Let me give a historic example, if you have to divide the freedom fighters in India, then Gandhi Ji was Centre, Bhagat Singh Left and Vir Savarkar would be Right. If you put it in Political Party structure then Democrats are Centre-Left; Republicans are Centre-Right; Liberals are Left;  BJP is Centre-Right. In terms of countries, USA is Centre; Britain Centre-Left; Norway and Sweden Left; China far Left; India is Centre-Right; Pakistan is Far-Right; Saudi is Far-Right; Malaysia is Centre; Indonesia is Centre-Right; Turkey is Centre-Left; Moscow is Right; and so on…

Share with me if you are Centre, Left or Right and what are your general views on Communism in India. But do remember to make a 2min pray for Jyoti Basu.