TWO great leaders and builders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) --- Polit Bureau member Sailen Dasgupta and Central Committee member Niren Ghosh, who passed away recently within a span of few days --- were remembered at a condolence meeting organised at the party’s central office, AKG Bhavan, on July 14 evening. Their sacrifices and services for the party were recalled. The fact that their lives hold a good lesson on how to be a good communist was stressed by the speakers.

The meeting was presided over by the Polit Bureau member P Ramachandran and attended by general secretary H S Surjeet, and Polit Bureau members R Umanath and Sitaram Yechuri.

In his address, Surjeet traced how both the leaders, facing innumerable hardships and challenges, built the party in West Bengal in crucial times. He said they were truly great leaders who worked tirelessly for the party till their very end. They played a key role in the party’s performance even during the recent assembly elections, said Surjeet.

Comrade Niren Ghosh’s extraordinary efforts in organising the workers of Bengal was recalled. He remained a bachelor as he believed, as many others did during that period of time, that marriage would hamper party work. Lenin had said that human life comes only once and every second of it should be lived in such a manner as not to regret at any point of time. This principle was followed by the two leaders till the end, Surjeet stressed. He said they have left behind a legacy which needs to be followed scrupulously by all of us.

P Ramachandran described the funeral procession of Comrade Sailen Dasgupta and said it showed how popular he was, not only among party cadre but also among common people. He said inspite of rain, the entire 8 kilometres long route of the funeral procession was flocked by tens of thousands of people. The fact that Comrade Sailen Dasgupta was never in his life either a minister or MLA or MP made it all the more significant, he said.

The Left Front in West Bengal was built by innumerable martyrs and leaders. Promode Dasgupta, Saroj Mukherjee and Sailen Dasgupta were among them. Comrade Sailen Dasgupta became secretary of the party’s state committee at a time when the party was facing severe attacks from all sides. He played an important role in holding the fort, building the organisation and organising resistance to these attacks. This experience brought him closer to the party cadre throughout the state, said P Ramachandran. His role in unifying the Left Front and even within the party was exceptional. A man of few words, he was in fact called "Silent Dasgupta," but behind that silence lay a thinking brain and a strong will to strive for strengthening the party, he said.

Comrade Niren Ghosh’s role in building the trade union movement in Bengal was recalled, especially during the innumerable struggles of jute workers.

Earlier the Polit Bureau resolutions condoling the deaths of Comrades Sailen Dasgupta and Niren Ghosh were read out in the meeting and a two minute silence was observed as a mark of respect to these great leaders. (INN)