CPI to observe 3-day mourning after Dasgupta's demise

The Communist Party of India on Thursday condoled the death of veteran leader Gurudas Dasgupta and said it would observe three-day mourning.

Dasgupta, who had been suffering from malignant lung cancer and was confined to his home for the last few months, died on Thursday. He was 83 years old and is survived by his wife and a daughter.

"The Party sends its condolences to the bereaved members of his family and will be observing three-day mourning," a CPI press statement said.

On hearing the news of his demise, party general secretary D Raja has rushed to Kolkata to pay his last tributes and to take part in the funeral, the statement said.

Dasgupta's body will be kept at the state CPI headquarters in Bhupesh Gupta Bhavan in Kolkata on Friday for the party members, friends and supporters to pay homage to the veteran.

A fiery orator who never shied away from raising issues concerning the masses and the working class both inside and outside parliament, Dasgupta was baptized into politics as a student leader during the tumultuous '50s and '60s.

After the CPI split in 1964, which led to the formation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Dasgupta decided to stay with the parent party.

Later, he was shifted to the labour wing of the party in the early '70s to work among the labour force employed in the organised and unorganised sectors.

Dasgupta became a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1985. He was also elected to the Lok Sabha from Panskura and Ghatal constituencies of West Bengal in 2004 and 2009 respectively.

In 2014, he decided not to contest Lok Sabha polls due to poor health.