> What's interesting to me is the drubbing the Communists took in West
> Bengal
> at the hands of the Trinamool Congress, a party that doesn't exist outside
> of West Bengal and whose whole raison d'etre has been hatred of the
> CPI(M)
> and the Left Front government it has led in West Bengal since 1977. I'm
> not sure when state elections are coming up for West Bengal, but this
> doesn't bode well for the left there.
I'm not an expert on things South Asian, but due to the, um, influence of influence, I can say one thing: the CPIM/Left Front government in West Bengal has been hopelessly corrupted by three decades in power and acts exactly like any other state government -- i.e. a glorified land-rent mafia up to its neck in shady deals (their role in the Nandigram massacre was outrageous and inexcusable). No better or worse than the Chicago Daley machine, but not even close to the sort of genuine Left alternative they claim to represent.
Nor should we expect miracles from the social movements and independent activists of the Indian Left. The country is only 35% urbanized and is going through a very rapid, very violent process of industrialization. Near as I can tell, the vote for Congress was a diffuse, generalized rejection of market fundamentalism and its provincial cousin, theological fundamentalism -- which is a good thing, creating more space for progressive alternatives.
One other important detail: most of the separatist or neo-nationalist candidates were defeated. The electorate is looking for pragmatic national solutions, instead of fantasies of renewed localities.
-- DRR