Indian veteran marxist leader dies of multi-organ failure

Kolkata, Jan 17 (PTI) Jyoti Basu, Marxist legend and
one of the tallest leaders of the Commmunist movement in
India, died on Sunday losing his fortnight-long battle to
pneumonia that led to complications and multi-organ failure.

95-year-old Basu, who held the record of being the
longest-serving Chief Minister in the country and missed
becoming the Prime Minister in 1996 because of his party,
breathed his last at 11:47 am at the AMRI Hospital where he
was admitted with pneumonia on January one.
Basu, who strode the political arena for over six
decades and was a leading figure in uniting opposition parties
against the Congress in the 80s and 90s, is survived by son,
Chandan, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. His wife
Kamal had died four years ago.
It was another matter in 2004 he influenced his party
to give outside support to the Congress-led government at the
Centre.
The Communist veteran, who had stepped down as West
Bengal Chief Minister in November 2000 after a 23-year tenure,
had been in and out of hospital in the last two years.
His health had deteriorated in the last few days when
he developed a multi-organ failure. He was put on pace-maker
and haemo-dialysis but he could never recover from the
setback.
"I have a sad announcement to make. Jyoti Basu is no
more with us," an emotional Left Front chairman Biman Bose,
who together with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
rushed to the hospital, said breaking the news. (MORE) PTI AMR
AHM


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