Jyoti Basu was remembered on his first death anniversary today, with former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee paying tribute saying that the late CPI(M) patriarch's absence was deeply felt when politics in West Bengal had turned bloody.
“The spurt in political violence and hostility are occurring daily in the state. If Jyoti babu was alive today, this situation would not have developed,” Chatterjee said after visiting Indira Bhavan where Basu had lived.
Chatterjee recounted the days when an ailing Basu, three years before his death, had invited Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to discuss burning issues, particularly after the Nandigram violence.
“It was at Basu's instance that the opposition leader came to his residence for discussing serious political issues. At this juncture, Jyoti Basu's absence is deeply felt,” Chatterjee, who has been expelled from CPI(M) for 'anti-party activities', said after garalding Basu's portrait.
CPI(M) sources said that approval had been received for the land applied for setting up of a 'Jyoti Basu Centre for Social Studies and Research' at Rajarhat renamed Jyoti Basunagar on the outskirts of the metropolis.
The party has appealed for donations for constructing the proposed Centre which would have a full-fledged library, an auditorium, a seminar hall primarily to provide documentation about Basu's lifelong work for communism and contribution to the mass movement.
Liberalisation policy has led to growth of billionaires: Karat
The economic liberalisation policy had led to a fast growth of billionaires and increased poverty among farmers in the country, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat said today. “The country has recorded the fastest growth of billionaires post economic liberalisation, numbering 54 till 2009,” Karat said. Speaking on 'Imperialism and globalisation: responsibility of the working class', Karat said when the UPA came to power in 2004, there were just six billionaires. "The number has shot upto 54 till 2009 and the world's richest people are living in India." Karat blamed the liberalisation policy for the 'growing plight' of millions.
