This is probably the first time I have seen serious criticism emerging so soon after a person's death. Normally, we eulogise the deceased's known and unknown qualities for a while.
Jyoti Basu passed away into the unknown and a chapter, which is only a long list of missed opportunities, comes to a close.
Given a mandate for 23 years, this man imprisoned by his ideology set the clock back by 50 years and left a state in shambles. India was at crossroads and Basu could have taken the path where Bengal led the country with enlightened leadership and governance. Instead polemics and bandhs / gheraos and ghetto mentality overtook everything else.
This is a study bringing out the difference between ideology as a theory and its practical implementation. The contrast with Gujarat could not be starker.
History shall judge Jyoti Basu harshly. What a tragedy?
