CALCUTTA, February 7: Jyoti Basu has a piece of advice for Sonia Gandhi, "Don't trust your speech writers and do your homework properly." The veteran Marxist has no quarrel with Sonia, "a housewife who was so far busy bringing up her children," entering politics.But that is exactly why she should do some homework before speaking about Congress's political rivals, he said today while addressing the first Left Front election meeting here after Sonia's successful rally at the Brigade Parade Ground.
Basu was piqued by Sonia claiming for her husband, former prime Rajiv Gandhi, the credit for West Bengal's panchayati raj. The credit, Basu said, belonged to the Left Front government, a fact that Rajiv himself acknowledged.
He regretted that the 112-year-old Congress was in such a bad state that it had to "fall at the feet" of Sonia Gandhi to save itself. But "not even an angel from the heavens," could save the Congress because it had become "rotten to the core". The Chief Minister was confident that thepeople would vote, not for anyone's "physical appearances" (read Sonia's), but for policies and principles.
Basu also rebutted Sonia's allegation, at her speech at the Brigade rally, that the Communists had aided the growth of communal forces with their anti-Congressism. It was the Congress which had repeatedly surrendered to and compromised with the communal forces, he said.
He described the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an "uncivilised, barbarous" party which sought to divide people on the basis of religion. He lashed out at Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee for getting into an adjustment with the BJP in West Bengal. The West Bengal Chief Minister said his party, the CPI (M), would consider joining the government at the Centre if the United Front secured a majority in the elections.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
