Kolkata, January 19
At 3.30 pm, six Army pallbearers carried Basu’s body into a gun carriage parked outside the Assembly house. And soon the carriage embarked on Basu’s last journey to Moharjunj, near SSKM hospital.
The cortege passed through the crowded Assembly Road, Red Road, Red Road and Cassurina Avenue while a large number of people lined up on both sides to have a last look of their beloved leader.
Never before, at least in the recent past, there had been such a huge turnout of people in the city as was witnessed today.
Shortly after 4 pm, the cortege carrying Basu’s body reached Moharkunj, where the late leader was given a “state funeral” with “six-shot-gun-salute” by the Army. Millions of people bade Basu “a tearful and respectful farewell”, who died at a private hospital near his Salt Lake residence on January 17 at the age of 96.
Sounding of bugles and firing of shots broke the silence at Moharkunj in the foggy afternoon.
Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, Politburo leader Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechuri, Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthadandan, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Biman Bose were among those present on the occasion.
Earlier, on the Assembly premises, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hashina, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, BJP leader LK Advani, RJD leader Lallu Yadav, newly elected BJP president Nitin Gadkari and several other leaders and dignitaries paid tributes to the Marxist patriarch.
However, Trinamool supremo and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, though in the city, did not go to the Assembly or the CPM’s Alimuddin Street office for paying tributes to Basu.
Basu’s body that had been kept at Peace Haven, Wellesley, since July 17 evening was brought to the Alimuddin Street party office around 8 am for allowing Politburo members, CPM leaders and other Left Front leaders to pay their last respects to the leader. At the party office, which Basu visited for the last time on February 2, 2009, the body was placed in a hearse bedecked with red roses and party flags.
Afterwards, a large funeral procession carrying the cortege decorated with flags and festoons, passed through the AJC Roard, Moulali, S Banerjee Road and reached Writers Buildings around 10 am. Basu left his office at Writers Buildings on November 3, 2000, after handing over the chief ministership to his young comrade Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
At Writers Buildings, only the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary placed wreaths on Basu’s body on behalf of the state government, while at the Assembly house there were adequate arrangements for facilitating leaders, other dignitaries and common people to pay last respects to Basu. However, hundreds of people could not get the opportunity to see the late leader and place wreaths on his body due to shortage of time.
