Paying tribute to former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday described him as the “first and last chapter of the Left Front government“.
The Railway Minister said she had developed a close intimacy with Mr. Basu in the years before his death after he stepped down as chief minister of West Bengal. “We are all deeply shocked at his death“.
“He was a tall political figure in the country. He was instrumental in the formation of the Left Front government in West Bengal. He was the first and last chapter of the Left Front government and Left movement,” Ms. Banerjee, who had visited Mr. Basu at the hospital earlier in the day, told PTI.
“I had good contact with him for the last 10 years. After he stepped down from office as chief minister I had gone to see him ten times. Towards the end, a deep bond had developed between us. He used to ask me about my political movement.”
Ms. Banerjee said, “We would have been happy if he had lived for some days more.”
