Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee breathes his last
The former chief minister of Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has passed away. He breathed his last at 8.20 am today (Thursday, August 8) at his residence on Palm Avenue in Ballygunge, Kolkata. He was suffering from serious ailments for a long time.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee served as the chief minister of the Left Front government from 2000 to 2011, succeeding Jyoti Basu. In 1977, in the first Left Front cabinet, Buddhadeb was entrusted with the Information and Cultural Affairs Department, which he kept for himself till the end of his chief ministerial reign.
The last time he was seen at a political rally was at the Left Front’s Brigade rally before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Until he was given the responsibility of the Police and Home Affairs Department in 1996, no significant department was under Buddhadeb’s charge. When Jyoti Basu retired in 2000, Buddhadeb assumed the position of chief minister, holding it until 2011, when it suffered a landslide loss to a Trinamool Congress-Indian National Congress combine.
Among the leftists, Buddhadeb was considered a reformist. He was in favour of adopting modern technology. He also consistently spoke out against the corruption that had entered the party.
Despite various controversies surrounding him as an administrator, Buddhadeb’s popularity extended beyond just the leftist workers and supporters to a large portion of the public.
