I am reproducing below a write up by Com. Mihir Das Gupta on the achievements of LF Government of WB during its 34 years rule:

On this day 35 years back (21st June, 1977) Left Front Govt. came to power in West Bengal with sweeping people’s mandate. This triumph came with the background of intense mass and class struggles spread over several decades and immense sacrifice by the Leftist political workers, thousands of whom had laid down their lives. Also in the background was there the authoritarian and semi-fascist rule in the state. Unfortunately it was defeated in the last year’s Assembly Elections.

The present ruling party and most of the big media, both print and electronic – national and international, are trying to portray that the 34 years of LF Govt. in West Bengal had been a total disaster. This is nothing but utter lie and devoid of any substance. I like to reiterate here a few (not exhaustive) epoch making achievements of the successive seven LF governments in the state. Late Comrade Jyoti Basu led it as the Chief Minister for long 23 years, followed by Com. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

Restoration of democracy and extending democratic values and functioning in all walk of the society – village panchayats, municipalities, educational institutions, cooperative societies and in many other fields. Unconditional release of political prisoners of all colours. Successful establishment of elected three-tier panchayat – devolution of enormous power and fund to such local bodies. Not using any draconian and anti-democratic law – not a single detention for democratic movement without trial. Achieving positive changes in centre-state relations to a great extent – arbitrary power of the Centre to impose President’s Rule in states became a matter of history. No intervention of police and administration to foil peaceful trade union movements for the interest of the owners. Extension of peace, amity and communal harmony in all walk of social life. Successful land reform and operation ‘Barga”. Extension of free education and health care. Converting the state of West Bengal from chronic deficit to surplus in food production. Converting the state from chronic deficit to surplus in power generation. Increasing purchasing power of the rural poor enormously. Creating a congenial atmosphere for modern industrialization. Making the state a destination of IT sector.  Showing a viable alternative path inside the prevailing economic structure of the country. Showing the political direction of how to run a coalition government successfully over a very long time. First time in the country, LF Govt. lowered the Voting Age to 18 years in case of municipal elections, which was within the power of the state govt.

THESE GLORIOUS ACHIEVEMENTS CAN’T BE WIPED OUT!

WE’LL NOT ALLOW WIPING IT OUT EITHER!

LEFTISM WILL NEVER DIE!

I am herewith reproducing an article by Joseph E.Stiglitsz, Professor in Columbia University and one of the reputed economists in the world on the present economic situation in US, where the benefit of growth is all usurped by the top 1% and the middle class and the lowest are made to suffer day after day:

America likes to think of itself as a land of opportunity and others view it in much the same light. But while we can all think of examples of Americans who rose to the top on their own, what really matters are the statistics: to what extent do an individual’s life chances depend on the income and education of his or her parents?
Nowadays, these numbers show that the American dream is a myth. There is less equality of opportunity in the US today than there is in Europe, or indeed, in any advanced industrial country for which there are data.
This is one of the reasons that the US has the highest level of inequality of any of the advanced countries, and its gap with the rest has been widening. In the ‘recovery’ of 2009-10, the top 1% of US income-earners captured 93% of the income growth. Other inequality indicators are as bad or even worse. The trend is one of concentration of income at the top, the hollowing out of the middle and increasing poverty at the bottom.
It would be one thing if the high incomes of those at the top were the result of greater contributions to society, but the Great Recession showed otherwise: bankers who had led the global economy to the brink of ruin received outsize bonuses.
A closer look at those at the top reveals a disproportionate role for rent-seeking: some have obtained their wealth by exercising monopoly power; others are CEOs who have taken advantage of deficiencies in corporate governance to extract for themselves an excessive share of corporate earnings; and still others have used political connections to benefit from government munificence: either excessively high prices for what the government buys (drugs), or excessively low prices for what the government sells (mineral rights).
So, part of the wealth of those in finance comes from exploiting the poor, through predatory lending and abusive credit-card practices. Those at the top are enriched at the expense of those at the bottom.
It might not be so bad if there were even a grain of truth to trickle-down economics, the quaint notion that everyone benefits from enriching those at the top. But most Americans today are worse off, with lower real incomes, than they were in 1997, a decade and a half ago. All of the benefits of growth have gone to the top.
Defenders of US’ inequality argue that the poor and those in the middle shouldn’t complain. While they may be getting a smaller share of the pie than they did in the past, the pie is growing so much, thanks to the contributions of the rich and super-rich, that the size of their slice is actually larger. The evidence contradicts this. Indeed, the US grew far faster in the decades after World War II, when it was growing together, than it has since 1980, when it began growing apart.
Rent-seeking distorts the economy. Market forces, of course, play a role, too, but markets are shaped by politics; and, in the US, with its quasi-corrupt system of campaign finance and its revolving doors between government and industry, politics is shaped by money.   For example, a bankruptcy law that privileges derivatives over all else, but does not allow the discharge of student debt, no matter how inadequate the education provided, enriches bankers and impoverishes many at the bottom. Where money trumps democracy, such legislation has become predictably frequent. But growing inequality is not inevitable. There are market economies that are doing better, both in terms of GDP growth and rising living standards. Some are even reducing inequalities.
America is paying a high price for continuing in the opposite direction. Inequality leads to lower growth and less efficiency. Lack of opportunity means that its most valuable asset, its people is not being fully used. Many at the bottom, or even in the middle, are not living up to their potential, because the rich, needing few public services and worried that a strong government might redistribute income, use their political influence to cut taxes and curtail government spending.
This leads to underinvestment in infrastructure, education and technology, impeding the engines of growth. The Great Recession has exacerbated inequality, with cutbacks in basic social expenditures and with high unemployment putting downward pressure on wages. Moreover, inequality leads to economic instability.
But, most importantly, US’ inequality is undermining its values and identity. With inequality reaching such extremes, it is not surprising that its effects are manifest in every public decision. America has become a country not ‘with justice for all’, but rather with favouritism for the rich and justice for those who can afford it

I am putting this post in my blog at about 10.00 PM on 19th June in UK. But the same is beiing shown as at about 02.30 AM of 20th June in my blog. But it is nothing unusual in the circumstances.

I am in UK. The time here at present is 04.30 hours less than Indian Standard Time.  hence the difference. By about 04.30 hours in morning the sun rises and even at 09.00 PM in the night, there is sun light.  It is warm when the sun is there, but will be cold the next minute. It is also raining some times. The island climate can not be taken for granted; it is changing by the minute.

since I am to return to India shortly, I have neither changed the time in the watch or laptop to UK time. Hence some confusion also when calculating the time.

For the last few days, I am in UK, along with my wife, visiting our son and family. From the busy schedule of the union activities of Delhi, it certainly is a change.

The climate is warm, although sometimes it will be windy and cold as also raining. The town where we stay is not big, but is about only one hour driving from London.

I have been twice to UK earlier and has seen some of the important places. I will utilise this opportunity also for the same. However, I wish to be with the family for maximum time since it is only once in two or three years we meet and are together.

I may return to Delhi by 13th July.