Jyoti Basu Biography
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Jyoti Basu
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Jyoti Basu was a famous Indian
political leader belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
He served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from
1977 to 2000 and it made him the longest-serving Chief
Minister in the country’s history. He was also a member of the
CPI(M) Politburo from
the time of the party’s founding in 1964 until 2008. From 2008 till his
death (17th January, 2010) he remained a permanent invitee to the central
committee of the party.
Early Life
Jyoti Basu was born on July 8, 1914 at 43/1 Harrison
Road (now Mahatma Gandhi Road) in Kolkata (then
known as Calcutta). His father was Nishikanta Basu and mother was Hemlata Basu.
Nishikanta Basu was a doctor and was settled in Kolkata who hailed from the
village of Barudi, East Bengal (now in Bangladesh).
Basu grew up in a joint family. The family, who had lived in a
rented house in Kolkata purchased a spacious mansion at 55-A, Hindustan Road in
1920.
Education
Jyoti was admitted to Loreto School at Dharmatala in
1920. In 1925, he was moved to St. Xavier’s School. After
completing school, Basu took an undergraduate degree in English
literature honours from Presidency College (now Presidency
University). He completed his graduation degree in 1935. After graduation, Basu
went to London to study Law. This phase of his life proved very crucial for him.
In London, he first got the taste of politics and Marxism.
Political Career
In England, he became greatly influenced by the Communist Party of Great Britain
and was also influenced by noted Communist idealogue and prolific writer Rajani Palme
Dutt. There he came into contact with several Indian freedom
fighters including Jawaharlal Nehru. Basu became a member of the India league
and joined the London Majlis. He completed his studies in 1939 and returned to
India in 1940.
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Harkishan S Surjeet (left)
with Jyoti Basu and EMS Namboodiripad
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After returning home, he immediately
contacted the Party leaders. From 1944 he was entrusted with responsibilities
on the trade union front. In the same year Basu became the first secretary of Bengal
Assam Railroad Workers’ Union. In 1946, he was elected to the Bengal Provincial
Assembly from the Railway Workers constituency. Ratanlal Brahmin and Rupnarayan
Roy were the other two communists who were also elected to the assembly. From
that day on, Basu became one of the most popular and influential legislators
for a number of decades.
Basu played an active role in
the stormy days of 1946-47 when Bengal witnessed the Tebhaga Movement, workers
strikes and communal riots. He was elected to the central committee of the party
in 1951 and was the secretary of the West Bengal Provincial Committee of the party
from 1953 to January 1961. He was a member of the Politburo from 1964 onwards
and was elected as a special invitee to Politburo in 2008.
He was elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in
1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1991 and 1996. Basu was
arrested several times during the 1950s and 60s. He went underground for
certain periods to evade arrest by the police. Communist Party of India (Marxist)
was formed in 1964 and Basu became a member of the Politburo. Basu became the
Deputy Chief Minister of West Bengal in 1967 and in 1969.
Chief Ministership
In 1977, the Left Front formed government in West
Bengal and Jyoti Basu became the Chief Minister. He held the position for more
than 23 years (a record in the country) from 21st June 1977 to 6th November
2000. Under his leadership, the Left Front government embarked on land reforms
and instituted panchayati raj system which was radical for its times.
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| Jyoti Basu |
In 1996, United Front leaders unanimously appealed to
Jyoti Basu to be the Prime Minister of India. But the CPI(M)
Politburo decided not to participate in the government. Jyoti Basu later termed
the decision a historic blunder. He resigned from the Chief Ministership
in 2000 for health reasons and was succeeded by Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.
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| Jyoti Basu with Buddhadeb Bhattacharya |
Criticism
Sumon K Chakrabarti, the national affairs
correspondent for CNN-IBN said in his blog : “During Basu’s tenure as the Chief
Minister of West Bengal, the state saw continuous industrial decline. Removal of English
from primary schools and initial support of trade unions against the use of
computers which affected employment ; and the charge that his party members
engaged in corruption and rigging of elections.”
Death
On 1st January 2010, Basu was
admitted to a nursing home in Kolkata after he was diagnosed with pneumonia.
On 16th January, his health condition became extremely critical with multiple
organ failure. He died on January 17 at 11:47 a.m.
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| Jyoti Basu |
N.B.-Some critics called Basu a
democratic socialist rather than a traditional Communist. Sabyasachi Basu Roy
Choudhury, a Kolkata-based political analyst said, “Jyoti Basu made Communism
look respectable.”
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