Once upon a time in Bengal, May day was a day which was celebrated like any other festival of Bengal. At that time, if any one who are not from Bengal suddenly came and went any area of the state can easily understood that its a May day because he must found that, there is a place where May day was celebrated early in the morning.
But now time changed, May day is now just another holiday in Bengal. Like CPIM became zero in the state, the importance of May Day also become almost zero.
Why has the importance of May Day reduced?
The Bengal Left movement legacy built from freedom fighting movement. A part of the revolutionary later formed Communist Party of India. Many revolutionary freedom fighters like Ganesh Ghosh, Somnath Lahiri, Pramod Dasgupta, Muzaffar Ahmed has distinct history and legacy of freedom movement. After independence, the role of these revolutionary transformed to refugee movement. Gradually that transformed into a mass movement against government and also owner of the factories.
The Leftist movement spread across the Bengal into the labour movement as well. At that time Bengal was suffering with transforming of industrialisation that is which were popular during British period became abandoned after independence. Workers movement further weakened the industry map of Bengal. In sixties, seventies of the last century, Bengal became synonyms of workers movement, lockout, strike etc.
The era of the Left Front government
In 1977, CPIM-led left front government came in the power. The momentum of such labour movement merged as more powerful which forced to close many factories. Once many industrial sectors of Bengal like Asansol-Durgapur, Howrah, Hoogly and a part of North 24 Parganas became abandoned area of industries. Brain drain started from Bengal.
So, last phase of Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya’s CPIM gave slogan, “Krishi amader Bhitti ar Shilpo amader Bhobishyot (Agriculture is our base and industry is our future)” and which gave immense momentum for the left front government. Soon, it was derailed when government tried to acquire land forcefully from the farmers in Singur for Tata’s nano car project and opposition led by Mamata Banerjee started movement. Then the movement spread to Nandigram and then other part of the state as well.
In 2011, Mamata Banerjee defeated the 34 years long ruler of Bengal CPIM and gradually faded out such practices of CPIM like May day.
So, now during Mamata Banerjee regime, except some of the CPIM party office, Maya day never be celebrated anywhere. Mamata Banerjee always said, In Bengal strike and lockdown is now past. Bengal is now new destination for the industrialists.
