Basu gets `Red salute’ farewell

CALCUTTA, NOV 6: Eighty-seven school children marched past the 87-year-old former West Bengal Chief Minister, holding placards that read: ...

CALCUTTA, NOV 6: Eighty-seven school children marched past the 87-year-old former West Bengal Chief Minister, holding placards that read: “Grand pa, you are the path. We draw inspiration from you.” Jyoti Basu left office this evening amidst an emotional and spontaneous farewell at the Netaji Indoor stadium.

In a symbolic gesture of Basu’s departure after holding 24 years in office, he was presented with a massive bouquet of 8,540 roses (his record number of days in office). Thousands of people — both in and outside — the stadium, burst into a frenzy and shouted: “Jyoti Basu, Red salute to you.”

Jyoti Basu could hardly hide his emotion either. “I am moved. I may be out of the government but I continue to be with the party. I continue to be in the Left Front. We are Communists. We serve as long as we live,” he said.

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Subash Chakravarty, one of Basu’s trusted lieutenants had taken the lead in giving him fitting farewell. This afternoon he organised a human chain of mostly schoolchildren all along the route from Basu’s Salt Lake residence to Raj Bhavan. The city — which for the past few days — seemed unperturbed over the Basu’s retirement plans suddenly rose to the occasion on the final day.

There were posters, placards and multi-coloured portraits of Jyoti Basu all over. The more hardcore ones wrapped them up on their bodies or hung them around their neck.

The Netaji Indoor stadium was packed to capacity and thousands of whom who could not make it, watched it on giant screens, the proceedings beamed directly by television channels.

There was chaos and pendemonium as entuhsiastic supporters tried to get closer to the dias. On the stage, there was tussel between the leaders of the party and those of the Left Front to upstage each other.

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Speaking on the occasion Basu said,“My record as a Chief Minister is actually your record. I could not have been the Chief Minister for a record 24 years, had you not voted us to power and had not the Front constituents given me the responsibility to run it.”

He reminded that he was leaving at a crucial juncture when a “communal, opportunist force was in power in Delhi”. “I have said time and again the BJP is barbaric, uncivilised. Be more cautious and vigilant,” said Basu.

Sitaram Yechuri, CPI(M) Politburo member who was present to witness the ceremony said that Basu has set the example of a “new political culture” by voluntarily retiring from office. “I have learnt many things from Basu and to mention one I would quote from Shakespear, not Marx,” Yechuri said. To remember Basu in Shakespear’s words is to say: “Thou shall do no harm to anyone.”

Buddhadev Bhattacharya quoted from poet Sukanta Bhattacharya to repeat Basu and warn political opponents that Bengal is invincible. To end it all Basu himself resorted to a Russian poet to record his message: “…all my life and all my labours have been given/for the liberation of mankind.”