Former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and the Communists destroyed not just the economy of Kolkata and Bengal, but the entire intellectual and cultural sphere, said noted economist Sanjeev Sanyal in a podcast aired on March 22. They destroyed the economy and cultural sphere to the point that Kolkata has never recovered from that shock, the economist said, but he blamed the 'poverty of aspiration' among people for the city's demise.
The Left government ruled Bengal for over three decades until it was removed by TMC's Mamata Banerjee in 2011. Under the Left rule, industrialisation stagnated in West Bengal, halting economic growth.
When asked why people still elected the socialist government in the first place, Sanyal said people elect all kinds of people for all kinds of reasons. He said electoral malpractice did play a part but more important than that was a 'poverty of aspiration'.
"The first time when he (Jyoti Basu) got elected, he already had carried out the Marichjhapi massacre. He had already begun to shut down the businesses. He already was mismanaging the electricity supply. I remember growing up doing my homework essentially by lantern and candlelight. Not because I came from a poor family. I came from a solidly middle-class family, but because there was no electricity. And this was before the days of when generators were commonly available."
"The question is, why did they keep getting him back despite his lack of performance? Some part of it was, of course, electoral malpractice. Booth capturing was converted into an art form. But I would argue that even more important than that was a poverty of aspiration."
"If your society aspires that the highest form of life is a union leader or an adda intellectual. That is your aspiration that you are sitting around smoking and sipping your old monk and passing judgment on the rest of the world, rather than doing anything. That is the aspiration of the society. If Mrinal Sen's movies are the aspiration of your society, then do not complain that that is what you get," he said.
Sanyal, currently a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM), said he grew up in Kolkata in 1980, and his strong distaste for socialism and communism came partly from the experience of watching how Basu destroyed Kolkata and West Bengal.
"When I was born in the early 70s, Kolkata was the most important economic hub in India. It was one of the most important industrial hubs in Asia. And right in front of my eyes, it kind of fell apart. And I always say, Kolkata didn't die, it was murdered. And I'm a witness to that murder. That had a big impact on me," the economist said.
Sanyal, who in 2022 came out with a book - Revolutionaries, suggested that one can't have a vibrant cultural society, without having a thriving economy. "Kolkata, in 1970, was India's biggest city. It was the biggest commercial and industrial hub. It was a culturally, and politically very vibrant place indeed. Before independence, it was even more important because it, of course, was a capital until 1912 -- actually effectively into the 1930s. Because even though the capital shifted, it continued to be the main hub. It produced all these great within a few generations - Vivekanand, Sri Aurobindo, Netaji, Rabindranath Tagore. Many of these people knew each other very well. So it's within a couple of generations."
"There were huge industries. Bengalis were famous as scientists and as a businessman. Originally, the Marwadi success came from Kolkata, not from the original homeland Rajasthan. And, the Birlas originally made their money there. So this was a real driver, and then it all fell apart. And this is important to understand because when one thing falls apart, which is, let's say you decide that you know, you're going to for whatever socialist kind of reasons you're going, you're going to wreck the economy, be very clear that everything else gets wrecked as well," the economist said, in an apparent reference to the Left government which ruled West Bengal for 34 years.
Sanyal said there is no such thing as a vibrant cultural hub which is not an economic hub. He said it is extraordinary that the Birlas and other industrialists left Kolkata and set up shop in Mumbai and other places. "It is also the case that Kolkata has never produced again somebody of the calibre of Satyajit Ray or Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore or Netaji Bose or Aurobindo Ghosh or any number of other names I can give you. It just didn't produce anybody of that calibre. When once things began to unwind, everything unwound."
As mentioned, it perfectly fine to attempt the UPSC or other such exams, but only if the person wants to be an administrator. The problem is that lakhs of people are spending 5-8 years repeatedly doing this exam as a "way of life". This is such a waste of youthful energy
In the same podcast, Sanyal also spoke on the UPSC and said youth should not waste their prime to become bureaucrats. He said it was perfectly fine to attempt the UPSC or other such exams, but only if the person wants to be an administrator. "The problem is that lakhs of people are spending 5-8 years repeatedly doing this exam as a "way of life". This is such a waste of youthful energy."