Gangster State

'This personal account of Bengal's fabled political party is both illuminating and gripping. A must-read for all those wishing to better understand the history of the CPI(M) and Bengal politics in general' RUPAM ISLAM, singer-songwriter and author

‘A crisply written, first-rate work on one of the most enigmatic political forces of India. Bhowmick has produced a classic study of the Left in Bengal’ AAKAR PATEL, author and columnist

'Gangster State is a gripping book, a non-fiction work that reads with the excitement and pace of a novel. A personal history of the CPI(M) in West Bengal, this searing tale, by Kolkata journalist Sourjya Bhowmick, provides a deep dive into the state’s tumultuous politics. With the 2021 Assembly election heralding a potential paradigm shift in the futures of both West Bengal and India, as well as in the CPI(M)'s own journey, this is timely and essential reading' SHASHI THAROOR, author and Member of Parliament

‘Gangster State gives an insider’s account, a fictional retelling, of what led to the undoing of the once mighty left front, whose cadres ruled the streets of Calcutta a decade ago’ INDIAN EXPRESS

‘In his debut book, Sourjya Bhowmick documents the unravelling of the communist experiment in the state … [It] is not a tale of a failed polity — it is the saga of destruction of a region from the pinnacle of glory in every field due to misguided sensibilities’ BUSINESSLINE

'Many assessments and reviews have already been made about the CPI(M)'s tragic downfall in Bengal. However, Gangster State stands apart because it's an exercise in self-criticism undertaken by someone from the party itself' MALAYALA MANORAMA (translated from Malayalam by the publisher)

‘Sourjya Bhowmick captures the [CPI(M)’s] dogmatic delusions, political entitlement, and its incongruence to the everyday concerns of voters … Gangster State reminds us about the pitfalls of a political party extending its hegemony to produce state-party fusion’ NEWSLAUNDRY