Ex-Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee dies at 80

Kolkata, Aug 8 (PTI) Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee died on Thursday at his Kolkata home following old age-related ailments, CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim said.

The former chief minister was 80 and is survived by his wife Mira and daughter Suchetana who underwent gender change surgery.

A party official said Bhattacharjee died at around 8.30 am.

Salim told reporters that Bhattacharjee’s body will be kept at a mortuary during the day and taken to the CPI(M) state headquarters at Alimuddin Street on Friday to enable people to pay their respect.

From there, it will be taken to a hospital as he had pledged his body for medical research, Salim said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled Bhattacharjee’s death, saying that the state government would provide him with full respect and ceremonial honour during his last journey.

“I have known him for last several decades, and visited him a few times when he was ill and effectively confined to home in the last few years. My very sincere condolences to Meera di and Suchetan at this hour of grief,” Banerjee said on X.

Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, also condoled the death of the former chief minister.

“I am deeply saddened to learn that former West Bengal Chief Minister Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has left for his heavenly abode… I pray that his soul finds eternal peace,” the BJP leader said.

CPI(M) supporters gathered near Bhattacharjee’s residence while leaders of various political parties went to his flat.

The veteran CPI(M) leader took over as the chief minister of West Bengal in 2000 from party senior Jyoti Basu.

Bhattacharjee lost the 2011 assembly election to Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and the CPI(M)-led Left Front’s 34-year-long rule in the state came to an end that year.

His tenure was marked by agitations over the acquisition of land for industries led by present Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Bhattacharjee stepped down from the CPI(M) politburo and central committee in 2015 and gave up membership of the party’s state secretariat in 2018.

Over the last few years, he mostly stayed away from public programmes and remained confined to his two-room government apartment at Palm Avenue in south Kolkata.