Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who will be remembered both for his commitment to the communist ideology and a pragmatic approach to industrialising the state, passed away at the age of 80 at his residence in Kolkata on Thursday.
Bhattacharjee, a stalwart of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, was known for his efforts to bring industrialisation to the state, an endeavour that, despite his best intentions, eventually led to the downfall of the Left Front government after 34 years of continuous rule.
Bhattacharjee is survived by wife Mira and daughter Suchetana.
Despite his failing health in recent years, Bhattacharjee remained a revered figure in Bengal's political landscape, remembered for his integrity and his efforts to balance ideological commitments with the practical needs of governance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Bhattacharjee.
"He was a political stalwart who served the state with commitment. My heartfelt condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti," Modi said in a post on X.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who succeeded Bhattacharjee after the 2011 elections, also paid her respects, highlighting the former chief minister's contributions to the state.
"He will be remembered for his work," she said, recalling her visits to him during his illness.
Bhattacharya, known for leading a spartan life, died at 8.30 am at his two-room government flat on Palm Avenue, where he resided both during his tenure as chief minister and beyond.
Bhattacharjee's death has prompted an outpouring of grief from across the political spectrum.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose lauded him as a leader who earned the respect and love of the people.
Former West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi expressed his condolences, saying the state has lost a remarkable leader and the nation a statesman of rare distinction.
Leaders of various political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party's state president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar, as well as Chief Ministers of Kerala, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura expressed their condolences.
Industry captains such as chairman of RPSG Group Sanjiv Goenka, Bharat Chamber of Commerce president NG Khaitan and many others condoled his death.
Members of the film fraternity of Bengal expressed shock and grief over the demise of the Marxist patriarch, recalling his close association with the world of arts.
Bhattacharjee's death marks the end of an era in West Bengal politics. Born on March 1, 1944, into a scholarly family in North Kolkata, the CPI(M) leader was deeply influenced by the intellectual and cultural milieu of Bengal.
His grandfather Krishnachandra Smrititirtha was a noted Sanskrit scholar, and he was a distant nephew of Sukanta Bhattacharya, a renowned poet of modern Bengali literature.
Bhattacharjee himself was a man of letters, known for his literary acumen and his frequent references to the works of Rabindranath Tagore.
He joined the CPI-M in the mid-1960s and quickly rose through the ranks, mentored by party veterans such as Promode Dasgupta. His political career began in earnest in 1977 when he was elected to the West Bengal legislative assembly from the Cossipore constituency.
He was appointed as the state's Information and Culture Minister in the first Left Front government, a position that allowed him to promote Bengali culture, theatre, and cinema.
Bhattacharjee briefly stepped away from politics in the early 1990s after resigning from the cabinet due to an altercation with a bureaucrat.
However, the CPI-M, facing strong anti-incumbency, brought him back as a fresh face, and in 2000, he succeeded Jyoti Basu as West Bengal's chief minister.
As chief minister, Bhattacharjee aimed to transform Bengal's economy by shedding the CPI(M)'s anti-industry image and attracting major investments.
His efforts, including bringing Tata Motors to Singur for a small car plant, earned him the media nickname "Brand Buddha."
However, these initiatives sparked significant controversy, particularly over land acquisition, leading to protests led by Mamata Banerjee.
The Singur project and police firing on protestors in Nandigram in 2007 further eroded the Left Front's support.
Despite these challenges, Bhattacharjee remained committed to industrialising Bengal, but the political cost was steep.
The 2011 state elections saw the Left Front's defeat by Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, ending Bhattacharjee's tenure and signalling a major shift in Bengal's politics.
After the loss, Bhattacharjee gradually retired from active politics, stepping down from the CPI(M) Politburo in 2015 and resigning from the state secretariat in 2018.
He spent his later years in seclusion in his modest Kolkata apartment, although he was abreast of recent political developments both domestically and internationally.
Bhattacharjee will be remembered as a leader who balanced his party's ideology with the pragmatic demands of governance.
Though his efforts to industrialise West Bengal were ultimately unsuccessful, they marked a bold push toward a new economic direction.
His tenure serves as both an inspiration and a cautionary tale about the complexities of implementing such a vision in a politically charged environment. As West Bengal bids farewell to one of its key figures, Bhattacharjee's legacy will continue to be a topic of reflection and debate.
