With West Bengal chief minister

Chapter One—The year 1962                                                                                 1—42

Prafulla Chandra Sen A straight jacket walk A disciple of Gandhi Dr B C Roy vis-a-vis Prafulla Sen P C Sen at helm Sen's first statement Big departure The Chinese Bear on the Himalayas Death of Kalipada Mukherjee Prime Minister's visit to Calcutta B C Roy Memorial Committee Centre-West Bengal Agreement on Coal Am Darbar First encounter with lawlessness First Delhi visit Cabinet expansion The Edge of a Volcano Chinese Intrusion Nehru's letters to Chief Minister on Chinese invasion CPI leadership on Chinese aggression The Volcano erupts Chinese perfidy State of Emergency Move against Menon National Defence Fund Committee Fighting again on NEFA border Nehru's letter to Chief Minister after cease-fire Police action against CPI India seeks help War preparations to continue Chinese condition Colombo Conference Rift in CPI camp An analysist's view of Chinese motivation of attacking India

Chapter Two—The year 1963                                                                                 43—73

Gold Control Rules Nehru angry with Calcutta Papers letters Budget session State Budget Death of Rajendra Prasad Indo-Pak talks Treatment to D I prisoners Digha political conference Am Darbar in Darjeeling district Orissa bans import of rice to West Bengal National Auto Telex Service B C Roy's first death anniversary State Assembly P C Sen faces angry Opposition First No-confidence motion against Sen Ministry Kamraj Plan vis-a-vis reshuffle of the State Ministry Two-tier Ministry More cut in Ministry size Reverting to Kamraj Plan Financial position of West Bengal vis-a-vis Third Five Year Plan Breakdown of Rationing system Rift widens in Communist Party Congress Presidential election The Dum Dum Dawai medicine N D C meeting and Nehru's guide lines for Agriculture The First Indian electric locomotive A dark day for humanity Reallocation of portfolios Winter Session of the Assembly and Food Haldia port in the making

Chapter Three—The year 1964                                                                              74—113

The Bhubaneswar Congress The rice on the melting pot Communal conflagration escalates in Calcutta and districts Sen-Nehru Talk on East Pakistan Disturbance State Legislature Budget Session A journey to Bhubaneswar in quest of rice Asoke Mehta and Third Plan Intelligence Report on Food movement The parting of ways CPI M comes into being Crackdown on rice millers Bombay AICC Session The light is out Old memories crowd Gunther in Calcutta World Statesmen attend funeral The battle for succession Lal Bahadur Shastri emerges as the Leader Calcutta Metropolitan Planning Organisation Letter from Lal Bahadur Shastri Rationing in big cities Birth of Agricultural Price Commission Consumer Cooperatives Shastri Cabinet formed Fair Price shops for Calcutta industrial area Prime Minister's letter on economy Birth anniversary of Dr B C Roy CPI sets up parallel secretariat Monsoon Session of the State Assembly No-confidence motion in Assembly Fish for Calcutta market P M 's letter on fish and C M 's reply thereto Right CPI Food Movement P M 's letter to C M from Cairo National Development Council meeting vis-a-vis Fourth Plan Code of Conduct for Ministers P M 's visit to Calcutta and Santiniketan Calcutta Rationing

Chapter Four—The year 1965                                                                                114—143

Durgapur Congress Session Kamraj addresses Plenary Session Economics of Durgapur Death of Winston Churchill Budget Session of State Assembly The language war Fourth Five Year Plan Sanjiva Reddy's view about Syndicate A mini war on Indo-Pak border in Jalpaiguri Fourth Finance Commission The black cloud over Kutch in Sind Border P M 's letter to C M on USSR vis-a-vis India Mount Everest conquered by India Sen-Shastri correspondence on Refugee Problem Government take over of B C Roy's residence Calcutta newsprint racket case The apple of discord The changing Food Policy The 22-Day bloody Indo-Pak War U Thant's bid to stop war

Chapter Five—The year 1966                                                                                 144—183

The Tashkent Agreement The man of peace snatched away by death The new leader Ajoy Mukherjee episode On the brink Stormy Budget Session In P M in the trouble-prone city P C Sen's threat to resign Leftists' strike call Examples are better than precepts Birth of Bangla Congress Riding storm Devaluation of Rupee P M 's letter to C M on devaluation Devaluation vis-a-vis Left Communists Alliance in the making Chief Ministers' meet in Delhi A turn in Food Policy Drilling operation in West Bengal Humayun Kabir quits Congress C M 's letter to P M on CMDA and her reply thereto Nanda's resignation episode The alliance—the story of the PULF and the ULF Governor's letters to President on political situation in Bengal

Chapter Six—The year 1967                                                                                   184—289

Election Code A plea for parity in D A Planning Commission's green signal on CMDA and Second Hooghly Bridge Arambagh Poll A journey to Arambagh Fourth General Election Exit Prafulla Chandra Sen The new Leader The First U F Ministry—Ajoy Mukherjee sworn in P M 's letter to C M on Centre-State relationship and Food and C M 's reply thereto Budget session Indira Gandhi re-elected Prime Minister Gherao The Gherao Minister himself gheraoed New Food policy The first outbreak of communal violence Secret mission to Delhi Namboodripad's stand on Police verification system and his letters to Chavan and C M Governor's secret fortnightly letters C M 's conference on Food and Finance The unkind Nature A row over Radio Speech The new President and Vice-President The birth of Bharatiya Kranti Dal The Naxalbari drama unfolds Governor's farewell letter Dharma Vira as new Governor A plea for non-party Government at the Centre Ranga Rajagopalachari's letters to C M and his reply Exchange of letters between M P 's and C M on Naxalbari violence Monsoon Session of the Assembly Code of Conduct for Ministers and exchange of letters between Chavan Mukherjee and Namboodripad U F Ministers vis-a-vis the new Governor Congress wins Upper House seat Food Minister's threat to resign The Chief Minister faces angry demonstration The Pay Commission P M 's letter on Food Sen-Mukherjee meet Sen-Ghosh rupture Unrevealed story of resignation Rift in B K D and Bangla Congress ranks The birth of Progressive Democratic Front The stroke of pen P C Ghosh sworn in as Chief Minister The mini Cabinet of Dr P C Ghosh A historic Assembly Session The NDC meeting The ding dong battle New Food Policy Second phase of U F movement P M 's letter on Central assistance for Annual Plan C M 's letter to Jagjivanram on Food assistance

Chapter Seven—The year 1968                                                                               290—303

The Hyderabad Congress Battle between three Ghoses Letter from P M to C M on political situation The Indian National Democratic Front A historic joint session Imposition of President's Rule

Chapter Eight—The year 1969                                                                               304—346

P M 's election tour Preparations for the elections The mid-term poll in four States Tussle over Ministry formation The Second United Front team A 30-Member Cabinet The first Cabinet meeting First trip to Delhi The Budget Session The Fifth Finance Commission Kanu Sanyal released The N D C meeting C M 's letter to P M on Farakka Anti-social elements and high explosive bombs May Day clash Death of Dr Zakir Hussain V K Menon elected to Parliament The conflict comes to surface Budget Session P M 's letter on Santaldih Power Project Role of the Leader of the Opposition Ananda Bazar Patrika office attacked The seeds of strife Division in Congress camp U F in disarray C M 's letter on ways and means grant Stormy raid of

Chapter Fourteen—The year 1974                                                                                     443—462

Budget Session Ray's suggestion on Presidential election and his letter to P M Ray's letter to P M on building a new society Nuclear explosion J P visits Calcutta Wanchoo Commission Break up of P D A Ray's letter to P M on groupism and corruption in the party Election of President Severe drought in West Bengal Wrangle over Governor's right to meet M L As without Chief Minister's permission and exchange of correspondence between C M and Acting Governor and C J S P Mitra and Governor Dias Sanjoy Gandhi's marriage and P M 's letter to C M Jayprakash Narayan's second visit to Calcutta

Chapter Fifteen—The Locust Year 1975                                                               463—488

C M 's letter to P M on holding Election during 1975 or 1976 Budget Session Death of Padmaja Naidu Violent demonstrations on Jayprakash Narayan's visit to Calcutta Morarji Desai undergoes fast Ganga water sharing between India and Bangladesh Launching of satellite Aryabhata Intelligence report on J P 's Calcutta visit Jayprakash Narayan's campaign in West Bengal Congress debacle in Gujarat Mrs Indira Gandhi unseated—Allahabad Judgment The Emergency C P I M Resolution on Emergency Jyoti Basu's letter to C M Assassination of Mujibor Rahaman Supreme Court judgment upholds Prime Minister's election Immunity of President Prime Minister and Governors from criminal proceedings Television station in Calcutta Intelligence Report on C P I M Intelligence Report on C R Irani Arrest release and rearrest of Jyotirmoy Bosu M P Jayprakash Narayan's detention order revoked Congress Session at Kamagatamaru Nagar Chandigarh

Chapter Sixteen—The year 1976                                                                            489—506

Tarun Kanti Ghosh's note to C M Outlay for the Third Year of the Fifth Plan Bidhan Shishu Udyan C M 's letter to P M on Harold Macmillian Sanjoy Gandhi visits Calcutta Budget Session Prime Minister visits Calcutta Outlay for 20-Point Economic Programme Finance Minister Sankar Ghose joins Central Cabinet Intake of Ganga water in lean months A plea to change the Constitution C M 's letters to P M on socialism Ordinance on MISA C P I M Politbureau meeting World Bank team vis-a-vis Metropolitan Calcutta Seeds of strife—move to oust Ray C M 's letter to P M on rumours of administrative changes Gauhati AICC Session The feud snowballs C M 's letter to Secy to P M on Cabinet reshuffle

Chapter Seventeen—The year 1977                                                                       507—521

Announcement of dissolution of Lok Sabha MISA arrests The Birth of Janata Party Jagjivanram resigns from Congress Intelligence report on attitude of pro-changer group in West Bengal on the eve of elections Death of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed P M 's election tour in West Bengal C M 's letter to P N Dhar on rumour-mongering on eve of elections C M 's letter to P M on election day about the prospects of Congress party Opposition Campaign The Inner story of Indira-Ray-Sanjoy rupture The Lok Sabha poll Mrs Gandhi defeated Morarji Desai forms Janata Government Assembly elections in States The last days of Chief Minister Ray