Vp Overplayed Caste Isssue, Says Jyoti Basu

West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basus just-released authorised biography is sure to stir a hornets nest, not only within his party but also among its allies. Among those whose policies the veteran CPI(M) leader has questioned is former Prime Minister and United Front leader VP Singh.

Singh certainly overdid the caste issue when, as Prime Minister in 1990, he announced that the recommendations of the Mandal commission would be implemented. The Left parties, particularly the CPI(M), are uneasy about caste-based politics, although they have an excellent rapport with Singh.

In an interview to Surabhi Banerjee, the author of Jyoti Basu: The authorised biography, which was released yesterday, Basu said that VP Singh is an out-and-out honest man, fit to become the Prime Minister of India. But he added that he certainly overdid the caste issue. We emphasized the economic criteria aspect of it, rather than caste alone. The Supreme Court judgement confirmed our views. But I admire his uncompromising attitude towards the BJP.

 

The apex court had later directed the government that the creamy layer among backward castes should be identified and they be deprived of the benefits of reservation.

Basus views on the CPI(M)s decision not to join the central government has already generated a controversy within his party. He has told Banerji that he considered the withdrawal of support to Morarji Desais government by the CPI(M) as a mistake, but perhaps not as great as the one in mid-May 1996. The CPI(M) central committee had in May last year decided against joining the United Front government and hence closed the door for Jyoti Basu to become the Prime Minister.

After the central committees decision, Basu proposed HD Deve Gowdas name to lead the coalition, since he considered the best candidate among the 13 parties. Though he is not used to running a coalition government, he is doing very well in spite of the controversies that seem to crop up. We are happy and want the government to continue, Basu said about Gowda.

Talking of other prime ministers, Basu called Lal Bahadur Shastri a very honest and simple man.

Basu said he was quite surprised to see that there are so many cases against a well educated man like PV Narasimha Rao. The newspapers today are full of accounts about the corruption suits filed against the former Prime Minister. He is summoned to the courts for the hearings in these cases.... What pains me is the fact that he is an educated man. But again, it was always a section of the educated class in India who had resisted eminent social reformers like Raja Rammohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in nineteenth century Bengal.

He had all praise for Morarji Desai for helping him to tackle the refugee problem and wanted that his party shoukld have supported his government when it was in crisis. I was in Warsaw when his government faced a crisis. I was ready to support his government but my party had already taken a decision to the contrary.