Former CM & veteran Marxist Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee no more
Kolkata: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, veteran Marxist leader and former Bengal Chief Minister breathed his last at his Palm Avenue residence in south Calcutta on Thursday morning.
He was 80 and was unwell lately as he was suffering from respiratory problems that led to frequent hospitalisation. He is survived by his wife Meera and son Suchetan.
The state government announced a holiday on Thursday in all state government offices, educational institutions, urban and local bodies, corporations, undertakings and other grant-in-aid institutions under its control as a mark of respect and for paying homage to his departed soul.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Bhattacharjee.
“He was a political stalwart who served the state with commitment. My heartfelt condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti,” Modi said in a post on X.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who succeeded Bhattacharjee after the 2011 Assembly elections, also paid her respects, highlighting the former chief minister’s contributions to the state.
“He will be remembered for his work,” she said, recalling her visits to him during his illness.
“My very sincere condolences to Meeradi and Suchetan at this hour of grief. I communicate my condolences to the members of the CPI(M) party and all his followers. We have already taken a decision that we shall give him full respect and ceremonial honour during his last journey and rites,” said Banerjee.
Bhattacharjee was made the Chief Minister in November 2000 when Jyoti Basu – the then longest-serving CM in the country – stepped down due to health issues.
Bhattacharjee was at the helm till May 2011 when the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress scripted a historic win ending the 34-year Communist rule in Bengal.
Bhattacharjee, also a former member of CPI(M) Politburo, had been ailing for a long time with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
He was last seen outside in 2019 at a CPI(M) rally but could not attend it due to a dust allergy and returned home. During the 2024 polls, his party shared a video of him, generated using AI, urging electors to vote for the Left and secular forces in polls.
On Wednesday night, his breathing problems aggravated. It was decided that doctors at Woodlands would examine him by 11 am on Thursday and admit him to the hospital, if necessary. Sources said his condition deteriorated again in the morning and he breathed his last before he could be hospitalised.
After the donation of his eyes at his residence, his mortal remains were taken to Peace World for preservation on Thursday afternoon.
At 11 am on Friday, it will be first taken to the state Assembly where it will be kept for half an hour for the legislators to pay their tribute. Following this, it will be taken to Alimuddin Street CPI(M) state headquarters) at noon and will remain there till 3.15 pm.
Then, his mortal remains will be kept at Dinesh Majumdar Bhavan (SFI, DYFI state committee office) from 3.30 till 3.45 pm. The former Chief Minister had expressed his desire to donate his body for research and accordingly, it will be handed over to NRS hospital.
Mohammad Salim, CPI(M) state secretary said: “His mortal remains will be kept at the state office on Friday since many leaders are coming from Delhi and elsewhere.”
Born in north Kolkata on March 1, 1944, Bhattacharjee hailed from a scholarly family. His grandfather, Krishnachandra Smrititirtha, was a Sanskrit scholar.
He was a distant nephew of the renowned Bengali poet Sukanta Bhattacharya.
An alumnus of Presidency College, Kolkata, Bhattacharjee was a school teacher before he joined politics full-time.
In 1966, he joined the CPI(M) as a primary member. In 1968, he was elected state secretary of the Democratic Youth Federation, the youth wing of the CPI(M) that was later merged into the Democratic Youth Federation of India. He was elected to the state committee of the CPI(M) in 1972. In 1977, Bhattacharjee made his debut as a legislator from Cossipore- Belgachia constituency.
He served as minister in Bengal Cabinet as Minister of Information and Public Relations between 1977 and 1982.
He lost the Assembly elections in 1982 from that Constituency and was later elected from Jadavpur seat in 1987 and continued to represent the Constituency till 2011.
He was re-inducted in the cabinet in 1987 as Minister of Information and Cultural Affairs and also held charge of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs department. In 1996, he was handed over the responsibility of the Home and Police department.
In 1999, he was made the Deputy Chief minister before being elevated as Chief Minister. As Chief Minister, he led the CPI(M) to assembly poll victories in 2001 and 2006.
During Bhattacharjee’s tenure, the Left Front government adopted a relatively open policy towards business. According to political analysts, it was this policy and land acquisitions related to industrialisation that brought an end to the Left rule in Bengal in 2011. Bhattacharjee got Tata Motors to build an automobile factory in Hooghly’s Singur which eventually did not materialise as Trinamool Congress led a movement against that plant in Singur.
In 2008, Ratan Tata decided to shift the project to Gujarat. This was a big setback to the Left government. Equally damaging was the violence in Nandigram where police action against a group protesting against land acquisition for a chemical hub project led to 14 deaths.
Forever clad in the Bengali traditional dhoti-panjabi, Bhattacharjee was an avid lover of art and culture. Apart from being a poet, he was also a playwright and after his day’s work at the Writers’ Buildings and at Alimuddin, he would often spend the evenings at Nandan.
In 2022, the Union government had announced Padma Bhushan for Bhattacharjee which he had refused. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “I am very upset. My condolences to Meera di, Suchetan and to all supporters of CPM”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by the news.
“He was a political stalwart who served the state with commitment. My heartfelt condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti,” he tweeted.
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