Book analyses political isolation of Bengal
New Delhi Nov 26 PTI Bengal planted the seed of nationalism and nurtured it into a sapling eventually leading to the creation of the worlds largest democracy but the state has been isolated from the national political scene for nearly 45 years argues public policy analyst Sugato Hazra in his new bookIn Losing the Plot Political Isolation of West Bengal he attempts to trace the states changing leadership political ideology and discourse over the yearsThe author argues that this so-called seclusion encouraged a move towards undemocratic systems and procedures which naturally led to socio-economic degradation of a state that once took the lead in national pride and identityHe raises pertinent questions about the contemporary state of politics in West Bengal Claiming that West Bengal has been isolated from the national political scene for the last 44 years he sets about trying to find out how the state ended up becoming isolatedBengalis have come a long way since the early days of the British rule and the espousal of English education to the rule of a regional political party led by the first female head of the state he writes in the book published by Niyogi Books imprint Paper MissileHe says West Bengal is a story of an unending descent – economically culturally and politically It is the story of a state that has lost its plotThe book has 12 chapters that look into the complicated political history of the stateThe first chapter traces the birth of modern ideas and nationalism in the state of Bengal and how these spread across IndiaIn the second chapter Bengals move towards neo-nationalism and its role in creating a separate line of political movement have been highlightedThe third chapter shows how the Bengal leadership had differences with national politics particularly after Mahatma Gandhi entered the scene The tussle over legislative entry and revolutionary politics between Bengals popular leader Chittaranjan Das and Gandhi and the change in the political landscape after the untimely death of Das explain the eventual loss of prominence of the state in national politicsThe days of confusion in Bengal after the system of elected government was introduced are captured in the fourth chapterThe fifth chapter outlines the internal dissension and infighting within the Congress highlighting its failure not only to protect its turf but conceding the same The author focuses on the division of the state with catastrophic consequences for many Bengalis and he underlines the failure to bring in relief for them thereby delineating the sorry state of the people and its politicsThe beginning of democratic rule under Bidhan Chandra Ray was turbulent and a narrative in slow motion of the receding national political party the Congress and the emergence of a regional political narrativeWith the passing away of charismatic leaders the confusion that ruled the state as also the nation and its effect on the lives of Bengalis are the focus of the seventh chapterThis chapter points out how a weak and internally divided leadership failed in administering the state and in fact created multiple problems The experiment of an unwieldy coalition government – consisting of political opposition to the Congress with no ideological harmony – and the harmful repercussions on the people of the state are neatly summed upThe next chapter – chapter eight – captures the institutionalisation of violence as part of the politics of the state under a Congress government that came not through popular mandate but through its sheer control over violence – the most critical turning point in West Bengals political historyChapter nine also explains the darkness in the system not readily acknowledged in popular discourse while chapter ten talks about the weaknesses which finally exposed the Left Front government and led to a change of governance – the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee came to power in 2011The change in government as seen in chapter eleven was not exactly for the better but proved deeply isolationist hurting the betterment of the people of West Bengal the book claimsThe final chapter of the book sums up the entire historical process raising serious questions about the states futureFinally in a postscript the author analyses the 2021 West Bengal state assembly election outcomes and its ramifications noting that The extreme political bitterness between the TMC and the BJP escalated during the 2021 state election and it continues to play out even after the election In conclusion the book makes the point that Politically West Bengal has opted for isolation from Hindi heartland politics thereby holding aloft its distinct regional identity PTI ZMN RB RB
New Delhi Nov 26 PTI Bengal planted the seed of nationalism and nurtured it into a sapling eventually leading to the creation of the worlds largest democracy but the state has been isolated from the national political scene for nearly 45 years argues public policy analyst Sugato Hazra in his new bookIn Losing the Plot Political Isolation of West Bengal he attempts to trace the states changing leadership political ideology and discourse over the yearsThe author argues that this so-called seclusion encouraged a move towards undemocratic systems and procedures which naturally led to socio-economic degradation of a state that once took the lead in national pride and identityHe raises pertinent questions about the contemporary state of politics in West Bengal Claiming that West Bengal has been isolated from the national political scene for the last 44 years he sets about trying to find out how the state ended up becoming isolatedBengalis have come a long way since the early days of the British rule and the espousal of English education to the rule of a regional political party led by the first female head of the state he writes in the book published by Niyogi Books imprint Paper MissileHe says West Bengal is a story of an unending descent – economically culturally and politically It is the story of a state that has lost its plotThe book has 12 chapters that look into the complicated political history of the stateThe first chapter traces the birth of modern ideas and nationalism in the state of Bengal and how these spread across IndiaIn the second chapter Bengals move towards neo-nationalism and its role in creating a separate line of political movement have been highlightedThe third chapter shows how the Bengal leadership had differences with national politics particularly after Mahatma Gandhi entered the scene The tussle over legislative entry and revolutionary politics between Bengals popular leader Chittaranjan Das and Gandhi and the change in the political landscape after the untimely death of Das explain the eventual loss of prominence of the state in national politicsThe days of confusion in Bengal after the system of elected government was introduced are captured in the fourth chapterThe fifth chapter outlines the internal dissension and infighting within the Congress highlighting its failure not only to protect its turf but conceding the same The author focuses on the division of the state with catastrophic consequences for many Bengalis and he underlines the failure to bring in relief for them thereby delineating the sorry state of the people and its politicsThe beginning of democratic rule under Bidhan Chandra Ray was turbulent and a narrative in slow motion of the receding national political party the Congress and the emergence of a regional political narrativeWith the passing away of charismatic leaders the confusion that ruled the state as also the nation and its effect on the lives of Bengalis are the focus of the seventh chapterThis chapter points out how a weak and internally divided leadership failed in administering the state and in fact created multiple problems The experiment of an unwieldy coalition government – consisting of political opposition to the Congress with no ideological harmony – and the harmful repercussions on the people of the state are neatly summed upThe next chapter – chapter eight – captures the institutionalisation of violence as part of the politics of the state under a Congress government that came not through popular mandate but through its sheer control over violence – the most critical turning point in West Bengals political historyChapter nine also explains the darkness in the system not readily acknowledged in popular discourse while chapter ten talks about the weaknesses which finally exposed the Left Front government and led to a change of governance – the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee came to power in 2011The change in government as seen in chapter eleven was not exactly for the better but proved deeply isolationist hurting the betterment of the people of West Bengal the book claimsThe final chapter of the book sums up the entire historical process raising serious questions about the states futureFinally in a postscript the author analyses the 2021 West Bengal state assembly election outcomes and its ramifications noting that The extreme political bitterness between the TMC and the BJP escalated during the 2021 state election and it continues to play out even after the election In conclusion the book makes the point that Politically West Bengal has opted for isolation from Hindi heartland politics thereby holding aloft its distinct regional identity PTI ZMN RB RB
