The Other Big B

AS far as transformations go, it would qualify as the most significant one in India's political history—Calcutta's affluent elite, and not the toiling rural masses, now form the CPI(M)'s most enthusiastic supporters in poll-bound Bengal. Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya is the reason behind this new-found 'love for the Left' by the city's well-heeled Right. They believe it is only under him they can flourish and make money!

The last five years under Buddhadeb have witnessed a spectacular change in West Bengal's, especially Calcutta's, landscape. Investments are pouring in, infrastructure has seen impressive improvement, the administration is more responsive, there is a visible effort towards providing honest and efficient governance, jobs have been created and the good things in life—shopping malls, pubs, multiplexes—too have sprung up. It's no surprise, then, that the political landscape has also changed. From the earlier apathy towards the Marxists, Calcutta's (and Bengal's) urbane, middle, upper-middle and affluent classes have turned into fervent votaries of Buddhadeb and, by default, the Left.

Says Sanjeev Goenka, one of Bengal's leading industrialists: "Buddhadeb Bhattacharya is dynamic, investor-friendly, and a man with a vision. It's natural that Calcuttans support him". According to Harshvardhan Neotia of the Bengal Ambuja group, "the economic, administrative and policy reforms ushered in by Buddhadeb have endeared him to the people, including the urban, affluent classes".

Not only industrialists, but corporate honchos, MNC executives, professionals and the salaried classes see in Buddhadeb a strong hope for Bengal and their own future. "The growing aspirations of the middle classes find resonance in Buddhadeb's policies and persona. The affluent look at him as Bengal's equivalent of Manmohan Singh," says Subir Patranobis, a sociologist.

The absence of a competitor also helps. "No Opposition leader can hold a candle to Buddhadeb. Six years ago, people began turning to Mamata Banerjee, but she squandered it away. Now, there's no opposition. What's more, with Buddhadeb at the helm, there's no need for an Opposition. He's capable of being the state's conscience-keeper and with his flexibility, transparency and approachability, he's the ruling party and opposition all in one," says psychiatrist Shiladitya Ray.

What, however, needs to be remembered is that this support for Buddhadeb from unexpected quarters isn't an endorsement of Left ideology. Quite the opposite, in fact. Buddhadeb's utterances—like his declaration a few weeks ago that he was, as head of the state government, a capitalist for all practical purposes—are music to the urban elite's ears.

The average Calcuttan, the man on the city's squalid, potholed streets that are being transformed into smooth, six-lane speedways, isn't enamoured of the CPI(M), but sees in Buddhadeb his only hope for a brighter future. Others see in him a stark and welcome change from the past.

It has also helped that Manmohan Singh described him as "India's best CM", a tribute repeated by the likes of Narayanmurthy of Infosys and Ratan Tata—the urban elite's heroes. No wonder, then, that Buddhadeb has emerged as the darling of Bengal's babalog. And, in the process, is set to deliver a record seventh consecutive poll victory to the Left Front, and also change the CPI(M)'s colours, perhaps irretrievably, from a dark shade of red to a pale pink.