Last 'bhadralok Marxist', ex-CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee mourned even by fiercest rivals

The last communist chief minister of West Bengal and CPI(M) veteran, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, passed away at his Palm Avenue residence in South Kolkata on Thursday morning, 8 August, at the age of 80.

His mortal remains will be donated to a state-run medical college and hospital in Kolkata on Friday, 9 August, as per his last wish.

Bhattacharjee, known as the last 'bhadralok' communist within leftist circles, was handpicked by the legendary Jyoti Basu--his predecessor and CPI(M) leader who governed West Bengal for 23 years.

During the 34 years of Left Front rule in Bengal, Bhattacharjee was the second and the last CPI(M) chief minister, holding office from 2000 to 2011 for 11 consecutive years.

In the 2011 Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress swept to power with 184 seats, while the CPI(M) secured only 40 seats, even trailing behind the Congress party, which won 42 seats.

Four years later, after five decades of service, Bhattacharjee was relieved of all key party responsibilities in 2015. The man who first became an MLA in 1977 from Cossipore appeared to have nothing more to offer to either his party or his state.

Bhattacharjee's political downfall paved the way for the emergence of the TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, which continues to govern West Bengal firmly.

The West Bengal chief minister wrote on X that the state will "give him full respect and ceremonial honour during his last journey and rites". Palm Avenue is certainly teeming with politicians of various flags and police as we post.

Bhattacharjee tenure at the Writer’s Building (officially Mahakaran) was marked by the violent protests in Nandigram and Singur, events that ultimately led to the fall of the Left government.

He invited Tata Motors to build an automobile factory in Hooghly’s Singur soon after the Left Front returned to power. The anti-land acquisition movements in Singur and Nandigram, led by Mamata Banerjee, brought an end to the Left Front's rule in West Bengal.

That same Mamata Banerjee today spoke in memoriam, acknowledging her former rival's legacy was worthy to live on, and declared today a state holiday in mourning.

An avid reader, poet and translator, Bhattacharjee regarded Gabriel Garcia Marquez as one of his favorites. His friends and followers fondly called him Buddha-babu.

"The last decade of his life saw Bhattacharjee gradually withdraw from the public domain to live as a recluse. Deeply hurt by what he saw as a betrayal by his party, he reportedly refused to accept any help from his erstwhile comrades, not even money to pay for surgery for his rapidly failing eyesight," wrote a Kolkata-based senior journalist, remembering him.

In 2022, the Narendra Modi government announced the Padma Bhushan for Bhattacharjee. He declined the award. (As Congress leader Jairam Ramesh recalled while expressing his condolences, the former CM was following in his own hero's footsteps — P.N. Haksar, who had declined the Padma Vibhushan twice.)

During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the CPI(M) released an AI-generated speech of Bhattacharjee addressing the voters of Bengal, urging them to reject both the BJP and the TMC.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge paid his homage to the left veteran on X.