All India Forward Bloc leader and deputy speaker of West Bengal assembly Anil Mukherjee died of cancer at a city hospital this morning, putting an end to a political career spanning over four decades. He was 72 and is survived by his wife.
Suffering from cancer since December last, he was admitted last week to Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital, where he breathed his last at 5.15 am his family said.
Mukherjee, who earlier had close association with the state Congress, joined AIFB in 1967 and was the central secretariat member of the party. During his early years, he excelled as a professor of law and also practised at the Calcutta High Court.
Elected for the first time in the assembly in 1972 from the Onda assembly seat in Bankura on a FB ticket, he had been holding the constituency since then. He was elected deputy speaker in 1987 and remained in the post till his death.
AIFB general secretary Debabrata Biswas expressed deep shock over Mukherjee's death and said democratic movement in the country lost an able leader.
The body was brought to the assembly at 12.30 pm where speaker Hasim Abdul Halim, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, his predecessor Jyoti Basu, left front chief whip Lakshmi Dey, leader of the opposition Pankaj Banerjee were among those who paid their last respect to the leader.
The body was taken to his ancestral house at Bankura at 1.00 pm for cremation.
The offices of the assembly would be closed tomorrow and there would also be no meeting of any house committee on that day, assembly sources said. Bureau Report