'Best Prime Minister India Never Had': Remembering Jyoti Basu's Political Legacy As Longest-Serving CM of West Bengal

Jyoti Basu was a politician like no other the country has seen in decades. A Marxist theorist and one of the founding members of the Communist Party of India, Basu was often described as a man of "towering political stature." He carried out the role of an illustrious statesman as the sixth and longest-serving Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1977 to 2000. On his death anniversary (January 17, 2010), The Logical Indian revisits the genius of Jyoti Basu and his politics.

Seven Decades Of Political Brilliance

His political career, representing the second-generation Communist experience, spanned over illustrious seven decades from 1940 to 2010. Born in 1914 Calcutta, Basu went on to be trained as a barrister in Britain and held a promising future for the country. He had left for India by the time he acquired his barristerial qualification, and in his homeland, he spurned a new revolution. Upon his return, he joined the Communist Party when it was illegalised, worked closely with the trade union movement, faced state repression, and quickly rose through the ranks as one of the top leaders of the Communist movement and founding members of the CPI(M)s nine-member Polit Bureau.

In 1977, he was elected the Chief Minister of West Bengal, a position he held for a record 23 years. Basu's legacy as the former Chief Minister is still hailed in the country as one of the most progressive and reformative policies. He was the brains behind several land reforms which benefited millions of sharecroppers and other peasants; democratisation and vitalisation of Panchayati raj institutions; establishment of the Haldia petrochemical complex, one among West Bengal's biggest industrial initiative; among a long list of other feats. He was also pivotal in cementing communal harmony and secularism in the diverse state.

Beyond his achievements, Basu is even better known for his clean and transparent governance. He was among the few politicians who owned up to the deficiencies and shortcomings of their politics and openly discussed it in forums. All these attributes, along with his game-changing contributions, left a significant mark at the national level. This eventually brought him the offer of the Prime Minister's job in 1996, a position he chose not to associate with.

A Rather Unusual Comrade

Basu was a vocal critic of the central government policies and often took a firm stand against moves that possibly undermined the autonomy of the states. According to an article by the Free Press Journal, he immensely valued and advocated the federal structure that enabled the rights of states. Due to this dedicated effort toward state politics, he let the opportunity of being the prime minister slip past his hands. At the time, many people, including the political economist Lord Meghnad Desai, tagged Jyoti Basu as the best Prime Minister India ever had.

In his tribute to the great leader, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat noted that he had taught communists how to work and serve the people in parliamentary forums. He also remarked that "there will be none like Jyoti Basu again." He continues to be remembered as a respected personality who patiently listened to a spectrum of political and ideological differences and struck the middle ground while policy-making, both on national and international levels. For this reason, many, including Western journalists, view Basu as a rather unusual kind of political leader who set governance worth learning from.

Also Read: Watch: Student Tears Copy Of Citizenship Act During Convocation At Jadavpur University