Historical correction

A decade ago, the CPI(M) Politbureau didn’t let Jyoti Basu become the country’s prime minister, something that he later called a historic mistake. This time round, the party’s leaders are trying to invoke regional sentiments. So, while campaigning in North Bengal, politburo member Sitaram Yechury said, “The BJP can’t give you a Bengali Prime Minister. The Congress will not give a Bengali Prime Minister, but only CPI(M) can give the people of Bengal a Bengali PM.” Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, for the record, later denied he was angling for the country’s top job.