Buddha likely to share dais with Rahul Gandhi today

It has become such a political compulsion that former politburo member of CPI(M) Buddhadeb Bhattacharya is likely to share dais with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi at Park Circus on Wednesday.

Though Alimuddin Street has not confirmed whether he will be present at the meeting, Congress sources confirmed that he would address the rally. Bhattacharya had taken part in one road show from Jadavpur to Garia in support of party nominees, Sujan Chakraborty, Madhuja Sen Roy and Satarup Ghosh.

Bhattacharya did not think even in his wildest reveries that he would have to share dais with Rahul, Rajiv Gandhi’s son who the CPI(M) had called a thief for taking kickbacks in the purchase of Bofors gun. Rajiv was a favourite whipping boy of Jyoti Basu and Bhattacharya and at the earliest opportunity they used to criticise him. Once, Gandhi had called Kolkata “a city of rallies.” CPI(M) had begun systematic criticism and in every meeting Bhattacharya used to call him inefficient.

Bhattacharya and others took enormous pleasure in calling Indira Gandhi “a witch” for declaring emergency. But Bhattacharya was first to realise that if quadrangular fight was fought then CPI(M) would get less than 40 seats.

While addressing a rally in Singur in December last year Bhattacharya called for all secular and democratic forces to be united to oust Trinamool Congress.

It is an irony of fate that the septuagenarian Communist will have to cast Congress candidate Krishna Debnath who is pitted against Subrata Mukherjee in Ballygunge Assembly seat.

His comrade in arms Biman Bose, Asim dasgupta, Ramala Chakraborty, Soumendranath Bera and Rabin Deb have already cast their votes in favour of Arunava Ghosh of Congress in Salt lake on Monday.

It is very interesting to note that CPI(M) is dreaming of forming government with Congress but in meetings the party is being referred to as a secular and democratic force, the typical double standard which is embedded in the Left politics.