West Bengal’s last Marxist chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee passed away after prolonged illness. The former chief minister was 80 years old at the time of his death. Bhattacharjee succeeded popular politician late Jyoti Basu as the 7th chief minister of West Bengal and reigned till 2011 after Mamta Banerjee’s Trinamul came to power. The veteran politician was declared dead around 8.20 am at his south Kolkata residence.
As news broke out numerous prominent political figures from all around the country shared condolences to his family. Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee also grieved her predecessor with a declaration of state holiday. Banerjee was a common visitor of the late politician during his last term. Let’s look at the life and journey of this late politician.
Life and journey of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
Born in a Brahmin Hindu family Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was the direct descendant of poet Sukanta Bhattacharjee who was a cousin of his father’s. After studying Bengali literature at Presidency College, he began his political career at CPM in 1966 and came across as a remarkable leader for the party’s youth wing from 1968-1981.
In 1977, Bhattacharjee, by then a member of the CPM’s state committee, first debuted as a legislator from Cossipore Belgachhia and later became minister of information and public relations.
Later on, he lost the Assembly polls in 1982 and was elected as MLA of Jadavpur till 2011.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s notable work
As the reigning chief minister of West Bengal Bhattacharjee made numerous notable reforms for the industrialization of Bengal.
He brought Tata Motors to build an automobile factory in Hooghly’s Singur. However, this decision had a dual effect on the workers as anti-land acquisition movements in Singur and Nandigram led by Mamata Banerjee and a rainbow coalition put an end to the reign of Left Front rule.
Bhattacharjee who was always seen in Bengali traditional dhuti-panjabi been rooted in his culture till his last breath.
Apart from his leadership qualities, he was also a playwright and poet. His love for art became evident after he took action against the violent protests during the screening of the Russian film “Taurus” at the Kolkata International Film Festival.
Over the last few years, he has been struggling with severe health issues. As per the sources, his last journey would start from Alimuddin Street at 4 pm.
Needless to say, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s legacy will be unforgettable for the Communist followers in Bengal.
