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The Rediff Profile/ Buddhadeb Bhattacharya

Syed Firdaus Ashraf profiles Jyoti Basu's successor

PART I: Bengal after Basu

It's normally a given -- the home of a chief minister will be a luxurious, if not palatial, bungalow. But West Bengal's new chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya will continue to operate from 59-A, Palam Avenue, Government Quarters, Calcutta. This ordinary, two-bedroom apartment has been his home for many years now.

"His simplicity is well-known in our party," says Shyamoli Gupta, a state committee member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist. She also happens to be Bhattacharya's immediate neighbour. "He is very honest and upright and has been running his ministry successfully for many years now. I am happy that the chief minister of West Bengal is my neighbour."

"He is hardly seen in the locality," says another resident, Pradip Bhattacharya. "He has been staying in this colony for the last 22 years, but I saw him only once. He was walking, files in his hand. There were no security guards around him."

Few people know that legendary Marxist Pramode Dasgupta handpicked Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Anil Biswas (who is now the state CPI-M secretary) for greater responsibilities. Buddhadeb was given the responsibility of parliamentary work while Biswas went on to specialise in organisational work.

Born in 1944 in north Calcutta, the chief minister is the nephew of the revolutionary poet, Sukantya Bhattacharya. Soon after graduating from Presidency College in 1964, he joined the CPI-M as a primary member. Besides taking active part in the food movement, he also supported Vietnam's cause in 1968. As a result, he was appointed state secretary of the Democratic Youth Federation, the student wing of the CPI-M that is now known as the Democratic Youth Federation of India.

In 1977, he was elected as an MLA for the first time. His constituency then was Kashipur. It was the first time that the CPI-M-led Left Front came to power in West Bengal. He was given charge of the ministry of information and culture; it was a position after his own heart and he went on to make a huge contribution to Bengali theatre, movies and music.

After losing the 1982 assembly election from Kashipur, he changed his constituency to Jadavpur in 1987. The move paid off; he won comfortably and regained his post as information and culture minister, with additional charge of municipal affairs.

The 1991 assembly election saw him win again from Jadavpur. The sailing seemed to be smooth for a couple of years. Then Bhattacharya fell out of favour when he criticised certain aspects of his party. Though there was no official reaction from either Jyoti Basu or the CPI-M, Bhattacharya resigned from the ministry.

"How can anyone know what transpired between Basu and Buddhadev when neither of them commented on what happened?" asks a senior CPI-M leader. The rumours strongly indicated that Bhattacharya had quit because of a personal remark made by Basu about his ministry. But the dispute did not last long; within six months, Bhattacharya was back in the cabinet.

Not many people know that Bhattacharya, an avid lover of Rabindra Sangeet, was initially a teacher at the Dum Dum Adarsh Vidya Mandir. He has even published a book of poems, Chena Phooler Gondho (The Fragrance Of The Known Flowers), and translated the works of Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez into Bengali.

Bhattacharya is also known to be a passionate cricket fan. Even today, while attending a sports meet as chief guest, he cannot resist taking a turn with the bat. An avid traveller, he has toured extensively in China, the erstwhile Soviet Union, Cuba, Vietnam, Great Britain and France.

In 1996, the CPI-M won the West Bengal assembly election for the fifth consecutive time. Bhattacharya was once again appointed information and culture minister, but with additional charge of the home (police) ministry. Basu continued looking after home (personnel).

Not only did the two leaders become closer during this period, Bhattacharya also matured as a politician. He is considered to be one of the few leaders who is both moderate and efficient and can balance both the hardliners and liberals in the party. Which was why, after 1996, he was always considered a viable alternative to Basu.

It came as no surprise when Basu appointed him deputy chief minister. The leader had annointed his successor.

PART III: The X Factor

PART IV: 'In Bengal, ministers have become redundant'

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