BASU-SONIA 2 LST

"Jyoti Basu did not go gentle into the good night. He
fought bravely till his last breath, just as he did throughout
his life. And what a rich fulfilled and glorious life he had.
He served his country, his party and his state with
whole-hearted dedication for over half a century," Gandhi said
in her condolence message.

Congress sources said Finance Minister of India Pranab
Mukherjee, also Bengal PCC chief, will attend the cremation as
the representative of the Union Government as well as the
party.
Mukherjee, who shared a close relationship with Basu
earlier described the Marxist patriarch as a "charismatic"
political leader and a "towering personality".
Speaking about his "close intimacy" with the veteran
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader, who died in
Kolkata Sunday morning, Mukherjee said, "I knew him personally
for more than five decades...In his death I lost a great
well-wisher of myself."
Congress party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said Basu's
death signfied the end of an era.
"Jyoti Babu belongs to the era of gentleman politics.
His death signifies the end of an era...As a disciplined party
solider, he paid the price with Prime Minister's post although
a lot of persons said that it was a historic blunder," Singhvi
said.
He was referring to the refusal of the CPI-M to join the
1996 United Front government even though the Prime Minister's
chair was offered to Basu. PTI AMR
AHM


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