New Delhi/Kolkata, January 17
The Marxist patriarch who breathed his last on Sunday morning was the last living legendary communist leader of the country. He was also the last socialist leader who, despite a bourgeois lifestyle, was still acceptable to the poor as a true representative. He was not a dogmatist but remained a hard pragmatist, rather a realist. He wanted the party to keep pace with the changing situation in the world.

Jyoti Basu was the doyen of Communist movement. Born in Kolkata on July 8, 1914, to an educated middle class family, his father Nishikanta Basu was a doctor with medical degrees from Dibrugarh Medical College and then from USA. Though the family was not active in political field, it was sympathetic to the freedom movement and the Chittagong armoury case of 1930-31 and Mahatma Gandhi's fast of 1930 left an indelible mark on the young impressionable Jyoti. By this time, he was in eighth standard at St Xavier's Collegiate School from where he did his schooling.

After graduation in English honours from Presidency College in 1935, he went to London to study Law at the Bar where he also made one failed attempt to join the ICS. Alike many Indian young men in London those days, Jyoti Basu also was drawn to the students campaigning for freedom movement in India and came in touch with V.K. Krishna Menon, participating in the activities of India League and London Majlis, working for Indian freedom movement.

I was 10 years old. Talk of revolutionaries and the fight for independence was in the air. Father was treating a revolutionary who had been shot and wounded. Those were part of my childhood thrills. excerpt from ‘Memoirs — A Political Autobiography: Jyoti Basu’

During his stay in London, Basu was introduced to UK's communist party leaders by Bhupesh Gupta who, too, had gone there for higher studies. Another illustrious companion was Shenangshukanto Acharyya (Dodo), the son of Raja Sashikanto of Mymenshingh (now in Bangladesh). The trio got involved more in politics than in studies. Basu was influenced by communist leaders like Harry Pollitt, Rajni Palm Dutt and Ben Bradley. This was also the time he befriended Feroze Gandhi, met Jawaharlal Nehru for the first time and made acquaintance with a young Indira Gandhi. He took his Law degree from Middle Temple London in December 1939 and a month later sailed back to India in January 1940 to register as a Barrister at the Calcutta Bar, but never really practiced there.

In 1941, he lost his mother, got married and joined the trade union movement, starting his work first with Calcutta Port Trust and Dock Workers and then later graduating to organising a union on behalf of the Communist Party in B.N. Railways, then under control of Congress leader Humayun Kabir. In 1944, he became the general secretary of B.N. Railway Workers' Union and the same year he contested for a seat of the United Bengal Assembly from the Railway constituency against Humayun Kabir and won handsomely. That was the first time he entered Bengal Assembly and except for a brief interregnum between 1972 and 1977, was a member of each consecutive Assembly. He never looked back till he decided to retire from active politics and chief ministership of the state on November 3, 2000, a few months before the West Bengal Assembly went to polls.

Jyoti Basu, along with two others constituted the three-member Communist Legislative Party in the united Bengal Assembly before the Partition when Husain Shaheen Suhrawardi became its last Chief Minister. He also got elected to the first West Bengal Assembly with Dr Prafulla Chandra Ghosh as its first Chief Minister. Under his leadership, the united Communist Party of India grew from strength to strength in West Bengal till the Indo-China border conflict which split the Communist movement with the CPI supporting the government line, while many stalwarts like Jyoti Basu, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, EMS Namboodripad, Bhupesh Gupta, A.K. Gopalan, B.T. Ranadive and P Sundarayya together forming the opposing the official line of the CPI.

The Left faced the 1967 general elections in a splintered state fighting against each other in Bengal. And yet, Congress lost those elections paving way for a United Front government led by Bangla Congress leader Ajoy Mukherjee. Jyoti Basu lost the 1972 Assembly elections and then led a long struggle of the CPM, which carried on throughout the early 1970s till the imposition of Emergency. The post-Emergency elections of 1977 saw the CPM-led Left Front assume power and Jyoti Basu became India's longest serving Chief Minister to date.

The Left Front only grew from strength to strength under his leadership, till the weak physical frame of an octogenarian Jyotibabu could not carry the burden of governance and he retired from active politics.

Though he remained rooted in West Bengal throughout his seven decades long political career, he made an indelible mark in national politics as well, earning a special respect among non-Congress leaders. And in 1996 when the United Front got the opportunity to form the government at the Centre, he was offered the prime ministership by none other than V.P. Singh. The CPM, of course, refused to accept the leadership of that government. But from hindsight it seems a mistake and Jyoti Basu himself described it as a "historical blunder". As anti-Congressism started galvanising in the post-Emergency era, Basu became the instrument through whom the non-Congress centrist forces came together with the Left leading to the formation of such governments in 1977, 1989 and then in 1996.

But with rise of BJP, he also steered his party away from anti-Congressism to identifying communalism as the main enemy, which ultimately facilitated the formation of the UPA government in 2004. He was also one of the first non-Congress leaders of national standing to debunk the campaign against Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin and declare that she had as much right as any other citizen of India to become its Prime Minister.

New Delhi, January 17
Leaders cutting across party lines, ideologies and even national borders reacted sadly and with respect due to a stalwart, on hearing of the passing away of veteran Marxist Jyoti Basu today.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had only recently visited Basu in the Kolkata hospital was one of the first to react to former West Bengal Chief Minister's death. He described him as a powerful voice in the national political scene and recalled how on many occasions he had turned to the Communist for his advice on important national and international issues and the response was always pragmatic.

"In a political career spanning more than six decades, he steered his party to power in West Bengal, leaving a legacy of uninterrupted rule by the Left Front that he forged through his leadership and legendary skills in building consensus," the Prime Minister said. Singh considered his death as the end of an era in the annals of Indian politics and called him a man of great integrity with deep commitment to secular values."

Simultaneously Congress President and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote a personal letter to Jyoti Basu's son Chandan Basu condoling the nonagenarian's death saying, "I have the warmest memories of our many meetings… of his charm and grace and deep humanity."

BJP chairperson L.K. Advani remembered his personal association with Jyoti Basu, particularly when the BJP from the Right and Left from the Left were supporting the National Front government in 1989-90.

New Delhi, January 17
The Left parties went into a state of deep mourning on hearing of the demise of veteran Marxist Jyoti Basu, describing him as a tall leader who fought for the downtrodden and said his death an irreparable loss to the Left movement.

While the CPM politburo immediately passed a condolence resolution listing his major contribution to the Communist movement in India and the administration of his state West Bengal, leaders of other Left parties were equally forthcoming in their appreciation of the stalwart's efforts in forging Left unity which has lasted close to three decades now.

With his condition deteriorating in last few days, many important front line leaders of the CPM like general secretary Prakash Karat and politburo member Brinda Karat were already in Kolkatta. Other politburo members passed a condolence resolution describing Basu as “one of the tallest leaders of the Communist movement in India" and pointed out how he became an icon for Left, democratic and secular forces in the country. The CPM said Jyoti Basu "became the role model for all Communists and progressives on how to work in parliamentary institutions."

CPI general secretary AB Bardhan also described Basu as the "tallest leader", adding "he also fought to the end for the poor and downtrodden".

Another Left constituent, the Forward Bloc described the passing away of Basu as a "a big and irreparable loss for the entire Left, working class and progressive movement of the country".

Shri Jyoti Basu earned the unique distinction of being the longest serving Chief Minister of any state from the late seventies to the year 2000… During his political career he displayed his abilities as a leader of the people, an able administrator and an eminent statesman. In the years after he relinquished the Chief Ministership, he continued to be looked upon as an elder statesman, whose advice was sought by many political leaders in the state

— Pratibha Patil, President

Basu made significant contributions to public life, and especially to the development of West Bengal… I have learnt with great shock and deep anguish the unfortunate passing away of veteran leader and former Chief Minister of West Bengal Jyoti Basu. His demise is deeply mourned by the vast numbers of his friends and admirers in the country

— Hamid Ansari, Vice-President

He was a tireless crusader against communalism, fundamentalism, casteism and all kinds of the obscurantism, a warrior for social justice and equality and for eradication of poverty, a true patriot, who always kept the national interest above all else. He was a towering figure in our national life, whose noble vision, judgement and depth of experience we all valued greatly

— Sonia Gandhi, UPA chairperson

He was a mass leader of great stature and impeccable reputation and was held in great esteem by one and all including his political adversaries. I had the privilege of meeting him several times and held many rewarding conversations with him. His passing away is an irreparable loss to the Nation. In his passing away, the people of India have lost a true patriot, a renowned personality and a great humanist

— J Jayalalithaa, AIADMK chief

He was an able administrator and a hard working political leader. He not only created a record for being the chief minister of West Bengal for the longest duration but took several visionary steps

— Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former PM and BJP leader

He was architect of first United Progressive Alliance government. The nation lost a great Parliamentarian in him

— Pranab Mukherjee, Union Finance Minister

Jyoti Babu was not only one of the longest serving Chief Ministers in the country but also an extremely popular mass leader. He was among the leading lights of the left movement in the country. In his death we have lost one of our tallest national leader and an ideological sage who always worked for the downtrodden

— Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Health Minister

It is a sad day for us as we remember the great son of India. Jyoti Basu has served for many decades, not only the people of West Bengal, but India...he dedicated his entire life to the nation. He was a great patriot, great democrat and a great human

— P Chidambaram, Union Home Minister