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Gupta's death leaves CPI leaderless in Bengal

Rifat Jawaid in Calcutta

The death of two veteran leaders within a year has left the Left Front, especially the Communist Party of India, devastated in West Bengal. Both Gita Mukherjee, who died of a sudden heart attack last year, and former home minister Indrajit Gupta, were considered pillars of the party in the state. Incidentally, both represented two adjoining Lok Sabha constituencies -- Panskura and Midnapore.

Taking to rediff.com, senior CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta described Indrajit Gupta's death as a great loss to the party and the working class movement in India.

A visibly shocked Dasgupta said, " He (Gupta) was the tallest figure in the working class movement and a parliamentarian of the highest calibre. Even his political adversaries revered him since he was the longest serving member of Parliament. His passion for the upliftment of underdogs in society was known to all and sundry."

Dasgupta admitted that Gupta's death had dealt a significant blow to the CPI.

Dasgupta was the LF nominee in the Panskura Lok Sabha by-poll which fell vacant after Mukherjee's death last year, and in which the Trinamul Congress's Bikram Sarkar wrested the seat which used to be an LF fiefdom.

Gupta, who was suffering from cancer, was shifted from New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences to his Calcutta residence on January 17 this year, and had been undergoing treatment in a Calcutta hospital for the past few months. Gupta was declared dead at 0400 hour on Tuesday.

Union Home Minister L K Advani telephoned Gupta's family at 0830 hours to express his deep condolences.

"He said he may come to Calcutta later today," Dasgupta said.

The CPI's West Bengal secretary Manju Mazumdar described Gupta as a true communist who always championed the cause of the downtrodden and the working class. For Mazumdar, the deceased leader's concern for the poor extended far beyond the national political landscape. "He was also leader of the World Federation of Trade Unions, so he represented the international movement for working class as well," Mazumdar added.

Gupta married Suraiyya Begum in 1980, and has one son and three daughters.

His wife told rediff.com that Gupta would be cremated either on Wednesday or Thursday.

Expressing his grief on Gupta's death, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya said that the Left movement would no longer be same.

"We will always miss the charismatic leadership that Gupta provided the Left Front. Understandably, his death is a severe blow to the Left parties. What was amazing about his personality was that he continued to enrich us with his expertise even after the split of Communist Party. He proved his mettle even as the Union home minister in the United Front government," Bhattacharya added.

CPI general secretary A B Bardhan, who flew from New Delhi Tuesday morning to pay his homage to the departed soul, showered his praises on Gupta's mass contact with common people in his constituency. He, however, debunked the possibility that his death would result in a considerable electoral loss for the LF especially in Midnapore.

"I firmly believe that his death has created widespread sympathy amongst the people there since his love and care for his people always made him a revered personality in Midnapore. This sympathy will help us," Bardhan remarked.

Curiously, Gupta's victory margin in Midnapore had been reducing in the past few Lok Sabha polls. Though, he had managed to retain his seat in 1999 parliamentary elections, his victory margin had experienced a sharp decline - from 2,75000 in 1998 to 41,000 in 1999.

Meanwhile, the Gurudas Gupta confirmed that Union Defence Minister George Fernandes, Union Home Minister LK Advani, Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi and 25 other Opposition leaders would arrive in Calcutta at 1500 hours IST in a special plane.

Gupta's body has now been taken to the SSKM hospital for embalming and then will be kept at Peace Heaven, a morgue in central Calcutta.

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