Left changes face

Left Front in West Bengal is facing the most formidable challenge from Trinamul- Congress alliance in its 34 years of rule in this assembly elections. Its first attempt is to undertake cosmetic changes that reflect in the announcement of candidates' list for the assembly elections. 149 out of 294 is new in the list that includes young, middle and old aged candidates, giving enough representations to minority, SC/STs and women in comparison to the last elections.

Left Front's first list of candidates itself reflects that the it is apprehensive of losing the power in this assemble elections. Though it is correct that the Left Front looks old and haggard that needed immediate surgery but only replacing old with new and handsome faces is not the right remedy for its disease in the face of growing disinchantment of the people with its government.

Ascending fast, the Trinamul Congress supremo and Union Railways Minister Mamata Bannerjee,arch rival of the Left, in alliance with Congress Party has unnerved it to retain Writers’ Building in Kolkata. In the last parliamentary and municipal elections, Left Front was thrashed in its den by Trinamul Congress. And if the trend of the last few elections is anything to go by, Mamata Bannerjee is likely to sit in Writers’ Building after the assembly elections.

One thing is also apparent that being in power for continuous 34 years in West Bengal, the Left Front Govt. has become lax, casual and negligent towards solving the people’s problems. Most of its leaders have become comfort loving and carrying politics from air-conditioned room in headquarters. Which is why people have distanced from them in the state.

Left leaders have also become disconnect with ground realities as they in recent years have been scarcely found among cadres.

But undoubtedly, most of the Left leaders’ honesty can not be put under question and it is also a fact that despite sharp fall in the moral standards of political class, they have maintained their moral high ground in politics.

It is also true that in the age of race for globalisation resulting in the backbreaking price rise and rampant corruption with no leaders of importance either in the ruling benches or opposition were found raising voices for the people, it is only Left leaders who fight for the poor, weak and downtrodden by taking out protests on the roads against the government. But because they fail to mobilise the huge majority of the people at ground level, they fail to gain political score.

Next month 6-phase West Begal Assembly election is a litmust test in which they appear to fail in 34 years with a lesson that unless and untill they go with the time, they can not move ahead.