Through Tinted Glasses

I have been an avid reader of AM's Calcutta Diary for a long time. I almost became an addict during my long stay out of Calcutta. A good point of Calcutta Diary is that it is not always on or about Calcutta. It covers a wider universe. Of late, I feel rather disenchanted with the style of presentation of the Diary. I refer to the Diary of July 15. It is about the fast decline of the CPI(M) and rapid rise of the phenomenon called Mamata Banerjee in the political firmament of West Bengal.

I have no objection to AM being soft on the CPI(M). It is understandable that in his long love-hate relationship with the party, love may sometimes overwhelm hate. But to exonerate the government and the party of lack of integrity by saying it "is infinitesimally small" is a little too much to gulp for a current resident of the state. What AM has conveniently slurred over is the abysmal failure of the government in the social sector. Education and health services are in total disarray. And the government seems to be unconcerned.