In a clear admission that Communists had committed 'some' mistakes in the past, but had drawn lessons from them, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Wednesday said that it was a mistake that the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front government took time to realise that capital had to be attracted to the state.
"There have been so many positives, big achievements. But if we have committed some mistakes, should we not accept them?" Bhattacharya said in an interview to a Bengali daily.
Asked if the CPI(M) and the Left Front government had committed many mistakes and why people should vote for them, Bhattacharya said, "We are Communists, we accept the mistakes of the past and also draw lessons from them."
"Gherao was a mistake, initial opposition to Information Technology was a mistake. Withdrawing English at the primary level was a mistake. We have been late in realising that we have to attract capital in the state to generate employment. That was a mistake. We are Communists. That is why we are realists," the chief minister was quoted as having said.
Asked to comment on recent media reports which quoted him saying that he was not practicising socialism, but pursuing capitalism, the chief minister said, "If I have to seriously take everything which is misquoted, then there will be no time for anything else. West Bengal happens to be a state among 28 others in the country. Can there be a socialist state within a capitalist country? We want employment generation, and capital is a prerequisite for this to happen. We are working within the capitalist system. How can I forget that?" he asked.
Bhattacharya said that his government was not for making "personal friends", but to make the state government "investment friendly".
"This is to accelerate industrialisation in the state, to speed up employment generation. Capitalism cannot be the end of human history. That socialism is a developed system, is a settled question. It is proven," he said.
To a pointed question if he had faith in socialism, the CPI(M) politburo member quipped, "Otherwise why should I be in the Communist party. I am with the people, because I am with the party. I have reached here through struggle. Being in the government, I may have to take certain different decisions in different circumstances. Even while working within the framework of a capitalist state, an alternative approach can be developed -- this is what I believe."
Asked to comment the way the CPI(M)-led Front government had been inviting capital amounted to "rolling out the red carpet", Bhattacharya said, "I prefer 'investor friendly' as the right word to describe our policy. Should I not talk properly with Azim Premji or Ratan Tata? When big domestic corporates were not coming, the Salem group wanted to put up a motorcycle factory. Should I have said 'No'? This is an untravelled path."
Bhattacharya said that not only in the IT sector, there would be "huge" investment and employment and in other sectors as well. "We are not only thinking about boys and girls with merit, but also those who are average. We have been late in starting our work with Information Technology, that is why I highlight this more," he said.