ABSTRACT

This book makes a critical analysis of West Bengal's Left Front regime (1977-2011) and explores the causes of its collapse under three sgments; inquiry into issues of political management; evaluation of various policy initiatives; and examination of development in civil society.

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Notes on Contributors
1 Introduction
I: Politics and Parties
2 The Left Front in West Bengal: From Movement to Government 3 The Left Extremist Politics in West Bengal: from Birth to Resurrection and Beyond 4 The Left Front and The Politics of Regionalism in West Bengal
II: Politics and Policies
5 Governing Urban West Bengal: The Left Front Experiment 6 Industry in West Bengal during the Left Front Regime 7 Agriculture under the Left Front Regime in West Bengal 8 Lost Decades? Human Development in West Bengal with Special Focus on Health 9 Elementary Education in West Bengal: Issues in Governance and Political Economy
III: Politics and Society
10 The Caste Question and Decline of The Left in West Bengal 11 Muslims, Christians and The Left in Bengal 12 Women/Community and Politics in West Bengal 13 Ganashakti ‘The enormous pair of bellows’: Tracing the History of the Party Organ 14 Civil Social Initiatives in West Bengal
15 Epilogue Rakhahari Chatterji
Index