A hardcore Marxist, Surjeet did not lust for power, but critics say he had his fingers in many pies and legs in many camps, which became evident when he managed to cobble up an alliance to make Janata Dal leader H D Deva Gowda the prime
minister in 1996 and then install I K Gujral as his successor.
Surjeet could leverage the power game anytime within the ruling dispensation with a mere call to the prime minister of the day -- from V P Singh to Gowda and Gujral.
A contemporary of Communist stalwarts like B T Ranadive, E M S Namboodiripad and A K Gopalan, Surjeet was a strong votary of the formation of a third front to fight Congress and the BJP and to bring like-minded parties on a common platform.
Surjeet firmly believed that only a strong CPI-M can help create a viable third alternative, based on a common policy platform to conduct joint struggles rather than just an electoral alliance, to foist what he called a "people's government" at the Centre.
Elected as the CPI-M's general secretary in 1992, a post he held till 2005, he is also seen as a mentor to leaders like Prakash Karat, who succeeded him, and Sitaram Yechury, besides a bridge between the old and new generation comrades.
Surjeet remained a father figure for partymen till the end.
Also see: Why Surjeet loves Laloo Yadav
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