“I didn’t speak to you about the ‘partial turnaround’ of the party in the elections just for the sake of it.... The forecasts are mentioned here as an attempt to establish the most important side of Bhattacharjee’s character — he was a dreamer and felt that there would be a better world tomorrow. This ability to dream made the Deng Xiaoping-quoting Communist, who became the state’s chief minister in 2000, attempt something rare — marrying Marxist theory withmarket reality. Like any other dreamer, he also had messages for others, especially the youths for whom he had great hopes. Is there no other vision in life beyond a Maruti, no other identity besides a house?” the then chief minister had said, exhorting students to strive for “higher goals” and pursue “bigger dreams”.

Source: The Telegraph August 09, 2024 00:57 UTC