Left parties condole Pranab Mukherjee's death

The Left parties have expressed grief over the passing away of former President Pranab Mukherjee, recalling that he maintained cordial relations with leaders from across party lines and often played the role of “interlocutor” for the governments he represented.

Mukherjee, 84, died in an army hospital here on Monday, his son Abhijit said.

The CPI(M) in a statement said Mukherjee was one of India’s leading political figures who contributed in various capacities as an elected member of parliament and served as senior minister in many governments for decades, before being finally elected as the President of India

“He maintained cordial relations with political parties across the board and often played the role of the main interlocutor for the governments he represented. The Politburo of the CPI(M) conveys its deepest condolences to his son Abhijeet and daughter Sharmistha and other family members,” the statement said.

CPI general secretary D Raja offered his condolences to the family and said Mujhkerjee will be remembered for serving the people of the country in every post that he held.

“The CPI offers its solemn homage to an outstanding politician and statesman of this country. He held different positions during his long and illustrious career, but in each, he served the people of this country," Raja said.

"He (Mukherjee) was known for his political knowledge and kept good relations with leaders across parties. He had a phenomenal memory and his death is a huge loss for the country,” he said.