Hundreds of activists including women marched through the streets of this eastern metropolis, waving red flags and singing revolutionary songs on Thursday to mark the 30th anniversary of the CPM-led Left front government in West Bengal.
Lengthening shadows of Singur and Nandigram notwithstanding, a steady stream of people, sporting red caps,headgear, placards and festoons that speak lavishly about the achievements of the world’s longest-serving democratically elected Communist government in the state, converged at the Netaji Indoor Stadium where a galaxy of leaders from the CPM and its allies were present to celebrate the occasion.
“Long live revolution,” “We are ready for another world record” and “Left has no alternative in Bengal” read some of the placards as the rush hour traffic was jammed bumper to bumper and stranded commuters gazed at Left activists, smearing one another’s face with red vermilion.
The Buddhadev Bhattacherjee-led Front returned to power for the seventh term in a row in the May 2006 assembly elections, bagging a record 235 seats out of 294. His victory also signalled a shift in the state’s priorities as Mr Bhattacherjee, called a poster boy of reforms in the monolithic Marxist citadel, began pushing for a reformist programme of industrial expansion.
  “We are skipping office to listen to our leaders announce future plans,” said Animesh  Chatterjee, a 40-year-old state government clerk.
The chief minister’s stress on a fast industrial expansion programme that received the seal of the CPM Politburo, already sparked violent protests at Singur and Nandigram in the wake of attempts to acquire farmland for factories despite fierce opposition.
For the first time, Nobel laureate Prof Amartya Sen spoke so vehemently against the LF government here as he denounced the hurry with which the authorities acquired land for the industrial projects,forcing the farmers to part with their land.
In fact, an independent TV poll held on the occasion revealed that the state government’s handling of the Nandigram issue made a serious dent in its image. A thumping 72 per cent felt the Nandigram situation was mishandled while only 28 per cent declined to agree. 
Even Nandigram has taken a toll on the popularity of Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee vis-a-vis his predecessor nonagenarian Jyoti Basu. When asked who was the better CM, 54 per cent voted in favour of Mr Basu, while 46 per cent favoured Mr Bhattacherjee.
A majority 68 per cent said West Bengal had been lagging behind the rest of India while another 57 per cent felt the average Bengali had become more mediocre as a result of the Left rule.
Opposition parties namely Trinamool Congress observed a
“Black Thursday” on Thursday, blaming the CPM for scores of deaths earlier this year after farmers protesting the government’s land acquisition activities clashed with police both at Singur and Nandigram.