Basu apart, there are rumblings within the Left Front, with many disputing the timing of the move and the manner in which it was done. Many feel that higher-ups in the party have misread the political climate and have mistimed the move. The Marxists had actually moved far away from a position that used to be best described by the West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in his public addresses. Talking about the leverage the Marxists enjoyed in the coalition, Bhattacharjee would often say in Kolkata maidan rallies: “We make this government stand up, we make this government sit down. It is our choice.”

But as the developments reach a climax, the Marxists suddenly seemed to have lost that coveted position. They are no longer in a position to manipulate the government in the manner that they have for the past four years. Eleven months ago, the Left had spurned the offer of a renewed Third Front from Mulayam Singh Yadav and others at just about the time when Manmohan Singh had turned the screws on the Left by saying that if they wanted to quit, so be it. So, comrades admit in private conversations that the timing of the pullout is grossly inappropriate.

The Left’s bastion of West Bengal is emerging as the biggest casualty of this development. Whatever may be Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s public posturing, he realises best the advantages of having a personal rapport with the man at the helm. For a change, Bhattacharjee had promoted this trend of “non-confrontation” with the Central government in the two terms he had been serving. He derived the benefits out of it from Atal Bihari Vajpayee as well as L.K. Advani during the BJP-led NDA regime and later from Manmohan Singh’s cabinet. The phase of cooperation seems to be coming to an end. That’s the problem with governance.

... contd.