“He (Buddhadeb) will remain in the minds of the people… He will be remembered for his work,” Banerjee told the media outside the veteran CPI(M) leader’s residence. The TMC government also declared a holiday on Thursday.

Banerjee said that her predecessor, against whose government she had fought a political battle till the defeat of the CPI(M)-led Left Front in 2011, had a lot of contributions. Maintaining that “a man is remembered for his work”, she said that Bhattacharjee’s demise is a loss to the state. Banerjee said she spoke to Bhattacharjee’s wife Mira, who told her that he had complained of breathlessness after having breakfast.

“I express my condolences to his wife Mira, daughter Suchetan, CPI(M), the Left Front and all co-citizens,” Banerjee said. She had also visited Bhattacharjee a few times when he was ill. “Though I belong to a different political party, I have my heartfelt sympathies to the CPI(M),” she added.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose, CPI(M) state secretary Mohd Salim and several other party leaders visited his house. Party workers and people gathered near the residence to pay their last respects. Governor CV Ananda Bose also offered his condolences.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar remembered Bhattacharjee for his “wise statesmanship”. Describing Bhattacharjee as “a stalwart of the Communist movement, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan called him “a true people’s leader”.

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