Bangla Congress
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Bangla Congress বাংলা কংগ্রেস | |
|---|---|
 Party Logo | |
| Abbreviation | BC |
| Leader | Mridul Kumar Chaterjee |
| President | Pratip Sarkar |
| Founder | Bidhan Chandra Roy |
| Founded | January 3, 1956 |
| Preceded by | Indian National Congress |
| Headquarters | Rasbihari Avenue, Kolkata |
| Newspaper | Jatiya Shakti (জাতীয় শক্তি) |
| Student wing | Bangla Students' Congress |
| Youth wing | Youth Congress of Bengal |
| Women's wing | Womens' Congress of Bengal |
| Membership (2019) | 958,841 |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right to Right-wing |
| International affiliation | Liberal International |
| Colors | Blue |
| Slogan | "Democracy and Freedom!" |
| Members of NA | 90 / 294
|
| Members of PAs | 258 / 742
|
| Members of MAs | 3,073 / 8,745
|
| Flag | |
 | |
The Bangla Congress (Bengali; বাংলা কংগ্রেস ; BC) is a liberal-conservative and right-wing political party in Bengaala.
Established in 1956, it is the second oldest political party in Bengal, having split from the Bengali regional wing of the Indian National Congress. The party was the strongest electoral force since the first free elections in 1970, up until 1997, when the Ratnapur scandals caused public anger against the party-led government. The party has been the largest opposition party since then. It is one of the two largest parties in Bengaala, with its main rival being the Communist Party of Bengal. The BC is currently led by Mridul Kumar Chaterjee.
History
Split from INC and foundation (1955-1956)
Bengaala was for nearly a decade, rife in instability due to the rising desire for independence among Bengalis from the then-newly independent Indian state. The region was governed by a lieutenant general as an union territory, rather than a full state. A mass demonstration in 1955, spearheaded by both independentists and communists, led to military intervention by the Indian government, due to which a great number of protesters were killed. The ruling party INC} received heavy criticism for using force to quell the protesters. Bengali INC leader Bidhan Chandra Roy denounced the Indian state and the INC as "imperialist", and organised his own faction withing the Bengali regional wing of the INC. Roy was expelled due to anti-party activity in December 1955, and he subsequently formed the Bangla Congress in January 1956. The party was joined by the vast majority of the INC regional wing, as well as many non-communist pro-independence activists. The party adopted its constitution in March 1956, in which it envisioned a free, independent and liberal Bengali state.
Independence struggle (1956-1970)
The BC organised through political clubs and groups, and through trade unions, against the Indian state. The party still hoped to gain independence by negotiations with India, rather than a violent revolution pursued by the communists. The party remained underground for the first five years of 1960s. It appealed to the public through symbolic marches, rallies and newspaper journals, though the independence movement had largely fallen silent since the events of 1955. The party was heavily engaged in mass demonstrations of 1967-68, following the controversial decision of the government to merge Bengal with the neighbouring state of Bihar. The party also occasionally cooperated with even communists during the struggle, though these cooperations were denounced and stopped in 1968. The party's "legal revolt" against India finally led to the formation of a Constitutitonal Assembly in Bengal, which would draft a constitiution, following which Bengal would have full independence. The party came second in the elections to the Assembly in 1968, winning around 35% of the vote. However, the party enjoyed a plurality for most of the Assembly's existence, as the communists (the largest group) split into two parties, the more hardline CPB and the moderate democratic-socialist SUP. SUP initially co-operated with the BC, but later the BC refused to accept many economic and other proposals of the SUP, which led the latter to part with BC and side with the CPB. The BC, CPB and SUP supported a new constitution in 1969, and an independent Bengal was proclaimed in 1970.
Post-independence and in government (1970-1997)
The BC formed a provisional national unity government with CPB and SUP following independence. However, they also arranged elections in November 1970, refusing to continue the government for a long time, citing the presence of the communist party. The party became the largest in the 1970 elections, while the communists still suffered from the split. The CPB was influenced by the subsequent eurocommunist current in Europe, which led to them moderating their views, that enabled a permanent CPB-SUP alliance. Thus, the BC always required either on a parliamentary majority or external support from the liberal PB party. The party's long-time leader Dinesh Bose had served as prime minister of Bengal from 1970 upto his death in 1989. The party became unpopular by the time, failing to raise the poor living standards and infrastructure of the country, as well as due to its inability to curb far-right terror acts and the rise of gang crime and mafia. BC itself was accused of collaboration with mafia multiple times during its time in government.