The author, Franda discusses at length about the growth of socialism in West Bengal. It has been described as "an aspect of the complicated political situation obtaining in this small, truncated state". He also discusses at length about the so called politicization of the Bengali Community since the inception of the British Rule, about the questions that forced deliberations of Politics in West Bengal prior to the elections held in 1967, which marked the growth of left politics in Bengal.
The Second split within INC from where most of the Bengali members seceded and formed the Bangla Congress in 1966. This Bangla Congress was party to the UDF Coalition, which occurred in the foreseeable future and will lead to the formation of the United Left in 1967. Similarly due to the ideological and broadly electoral differences, many hardline Marxists left the CPI and formed the CPI(M), which managed to outpoll its parent party by a huge margin in both the 1967 and 1969 elections.
There is a vast difference, where it concerns feudal-oriented Congress and Marxist-oriented United Left (CPI, CPIM, RSP, and FB). The INC has been a staunch supporter of foreign investment, free market and economic liberalization, whereas the left advocated, workers’ rights, Anti-FDI arguments, nationalization of Industries and Banks, redistribution of land. According to Franda, "While these parties don’t measure their success in the terms of vote numbers or the quantity of Seats in Assembly or Parliament, they have nevertheless been able to attain an important position in the electoral politics of the state"**. The umbrella tendency dates back from 1952 to 1957, where ULEC formed by CPI, RSP, PSP, FB and FB(M), this CPI-led ULEC won 80 seats in 1957, this created a pattern by 1962. This showed that CPI, RSP and FB could work in an alliance, and in the process squeeze out smaller left parties from the political pitch, and clearly the strategy worked. Soon after the split of the CPI in 1964, there sprang two fronts, PULF led by CPI and ULF led by CPIM. Bangla Congress showed solidarity towards CPIM and supported the ULF.
The 1967 elections was a benchmark in the electoral politics in India, a non-INC democratic socialist party secured the power in the state, and decided to ally with ULF, which made it possible for the Bangla Congress to come into power. INC West Bengal leader, Atulya Ghosh opined that the PM would’ve wanted to form a coalition with the communists. As a matter of fact the UDF (United Front) Government was formed in 1967 as a coalition of 14 parties including PULF, ULF, PSP and Gurkha League, unfortunately but quite consequentially the UDF Government lasted only for nine months, succeeded by President’s rule in the state. Again the UDF rose in the 1969 elections with a decisive victory.
Franda concludes by writing that if the United Front was truly united there could be a possibility of the two-party system followed in Britain and the US as all the smaller parties were squeezed out of the spectrum.
The Second split within INC from where most of the Bengali members seceded and formed the Bangla Congress in 1966. This Bangla Congress was party to the UDF Coalition, which occurred in the foreseeable future and will lead to the formation of the United Left in 1967. Similarly due to the ideological and broadly electoral differences, many hardline Marxists left the CPI and formed the CPI(M), which managed to outpoll its parent party by a huge margin in both the 1967 and 1969 elections.
There is a vast difference, where it concerns feudal-oriented Congress and Marxist-oriented United Left (CPI, CPIM, RSP, and FB). The INC has been a staunch supporter of foreign investment, free market and economic liberalization, whereas the left advocated, workers’ rights, Anti-FDI arguments, nationalization of Industries and Banks, redistribution of land. According to Franda, "While these parties don’t measure their success in the terms of vote numbers or the quantity of Seats in Assembly or Parliament, they have nevertheless been able to attain an important position in the electoral politics of the state"**. The umbrella tendency dates back from 1952 to 1957, where ULEC formed by CPI, RSP, PSP, FB and FB(M), this CPI-led ULEC won 80 seats in 1957, this created a pattern by 1962. This showed that CPI, RSP and FB could work in an alliance, and in the process squeeze out smaller left parties from the political pitch, and clearly the strategy worked. Soon after the split of the CPI in 1964, there sprang two fronts, PULF led by CPI and ULF led by CPIM. Bangla Congress showed solidarity towards CPIM and supported the ULF.
The 1967 elections was a benchmark in the electoral politics in India, a non-INC democratic socialist party secured the power in the state, and decided to ally with ULF, which made it possible for the Bangla Congress to come into power. INC West Bengal leader, Atulya Ghosh opined that the PM would’ve wanted to form a coalition with the communists. As a matter of fact the UDF (United Front) Government was formed in 1967 as a coalition of 14 parties including PULF, ULF, PSP and Gurkha League, unfortunately but quite consequentially the UDF Government lasted only for nine months, succeeded by President’s rule in the state. Again the UDF rose in the 1969 elections with a decisive victory.
Franda concludes by writing that if the United Front was truly united there could be a possibility of the two-party system followed in Britain and the US as all the smaller parties were squeezed out of the spectrum.
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