Reversing its line of contour in the manifesto from “G-to-C” (government-to-citizen) to “C-to-G” (citizen-to-government), the Left Front this time will stress more on civic (amenities) issues and less on development projects.
This is in line with former chief minister late Jyoti Basu’s stand who had after the formation of the first Left Front government in 1977, declared that the government would not be conducted from the Writers’ Buildings but from the midst of the people.
Deviating from its aggressive industrial policy, the Left Front will emphasise on small-scale and medium industry policy instead. This paradigm shift, the Front leadership feels would be effective in two ways.
First, it would help allay the fear among the people that the government will not take their land forcefully in the name of Singur-like industry. Secondly, the emphasis on small-scale industry and IT sector will help the Front in wooing the younger generation, promising them job prospect. This apart, the Left Front will also lay stress on the two most-neglected sectors: health and education.
Insiders revealed, in a recent closed-door workshop to fine-tune their strategies for the campaign, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was quoted as saying: “The results of the previous polls, ranging from the Parliament to panchayat to the civic poll underline the changes in the overall political mood and we have to fight it politically by keeping tab on the people’s pulse.”
In sync with the chief minister’s prescription to feel the people’s pulse, the party has decided to change its mode and style of running the administration.