Left leaders, supporters mourn loss of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Kolkata: Left Front leaders and supporters alike mourned the death of veteran communist leader and former Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

His supporters from various places started pouring in at his Palm Avenue residence to show their respect to a quintessential Bengali ‘bhadralok’ ever since the news of his death had spread. It was an emotional day for Haren Adhikari and Sambhu Baidya who worked as attendants of Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.

Adhikari who was working as his attendant for the past 4 years while Baidya started working around two years ago.

They said that BiPap was applied on Bhattacharjee following the advice of a doctor at around 2 am late on Wednesday night as he complained of respiratory distress. His health improved after four hours. He again complained about respiratory distress in the morning. BiPap was put on him but he breathed his last.

Adhikari also said that like every day, he was offered tea and then breakfast. When he was given medicine, he was unable to take it. Bhattacharjee used to read books but in the recent past, he was unable to read. Adhikari added that he loved listening to Rabindra Sangeet.

“I used to take care of him like a son. He used to love all of us so much. We don’t often find a person like him. I feel proud that I have been able to serve him for so long,” Adhikari said.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose, CPI(M) state secretary Mohd Salim and several other party leaders visited the residence of Bhattacharjee.

Many party workers and common people gathered near the residence to pay their last respects. Bhattacharjee who was fond of quoting a phrase from Charles Dickens’s ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ — “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…” He used to say this phrase at

almost every public event he attended as Chief Minister from 2001 to 2011.