Left's Tripura debacle worries Jairam Ramesh

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said the Leftist ideology should not die and it would be a "disaster" for India if it happens.  Delivering the key note address at the international seminar on sustainable habitat coinciding with the birth centenary of Laurie Baker in Thiruvananthapuram, Mr Ramesh delved on the fate of Communism in the aftermath of the CPM receiving a drubbing at the hands of the BJP in Tripura.

He recalled that 1917 is not the centenary year of Laurie Baker alone but also that of the Russian Revolution and February Revolution, both of which are commemorated in Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. “But sadly it (communism) is no longer there in West Bengal and Tripura. The Left has to be strong in India. I am very clear about it,” he said amid a loud round of applause. “The demise of the Left will be a disaster for India. We’re going to fight the Left; we’re going to be politically rivals. But I am the first to say that India cannot afford the demise of the Left.”

Mr Ramesh who essayed on the left’s relevance, did not hesitate to give a piece of his mind to his comrade friends including finance minister Dr. T. M. Thomas Isaac who was present on the dais. Mr Ramesh urged the left to change its mind and have abetter understanding of the peoples’ aspirations, earning another round of applause by the audience and poet Sugathakumari who was on the dais. Mr Ramesh hailed the contribution of Baker, noted for low budget and eco-friendly building designs, and said the significance of sustainable and nature friendly techniques was increasing now days in the wake of threat cased by climate change.