The CPI(M) Polit Bureau on Thursday expressed grief at the passing of senior party leader and former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

Bhattacharjee (80) died in his Kolkata home after suffering from age-related ailments, CPI(M) West Bengal secretary Md Salim said.

"The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses its profound grief at the passing away of Comrade Buddhadeb Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, outstanding leader of the party and former chief minister of West Bengal," the CPI(M) said in a statement.

Bhattacharjee joined the party as a student in 1966 and participated in various student and youth movements, the CPI(M) said.

He became state secretary of the West Bengal Democratic Youth Federation in 1968. Bhattacharjee was elected to the party's West Bengal state committee in 1971 and became a state secretariat member in 1982.

During this period, Bhattacharjee emerged as an important leader who undertook various responsibilities as a dedicated cadre, it said.

As a member of the Polit Bureau till 2015, Bhattacharjee made important contributions in shaping party policies, it added.

"Buddhadeb's distinctive role was as a minister and chief minister of the Left Front government, in which he served nearly three decades. He succeeded Jyoti Basu as the chief minister in November 2000 and was sworn in after that for another two terms," the CPI(M) said, adding that he played a key role in the approach and policies of the government.

Bhattacharjee made a significant contribution to the development of cultural institutions and sustaining progressive cultural values, it further said.

"His passion was literature. He was a poet, playwright and writer. He translated many international literary works into Bengali. He wrote extensively on changes in China and published a book on the subject," it added.

A dedicated Communist, he led a simple life and, throughout his tenure as chief minister and subsequently, lived in a modest two-room apartment, the party said. "With his death, a chapter in the Communist and Left movement of West Bengal has ended."

"The Polit Bureau pays revolutionary homage to his memory and conveys its deepest condolences to his wife Meera and his son Suchetan," they added.

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