A towering personality: Balayogi

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 20. The interventions of Mr. Indrajit Gupta in the Lok Sabha were heard with rapt attention and never once did he raise his voice, the Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, said in her homage to the CPI leader, who died in Kolkata early today. Ms. Gandhi recalled his long association with her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi.

Such was Mr. Gupta's personality and such was the impact he made in his long innings in the House, that friends and foes alike joined in paying him a wholesome tribute.

The Speaker, Mr. G. M. C. Balayogi, said he was a towering personality whose loss would be difficult to fill.

For the CPI(M)'s Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, with whom Mr. Gupta shared a seat in the Opposition benches, he was ``one of the most outstanding parliamentarians and elder brother.'' He described Mr. Gupta as a ``reluctant'' Home Minister who held the scales even when in the Government.

To others such as Mr. Jaipal Reddy of the Congress, he was an ``icon at whose feet we learnt about parliamentary practice''. Usually not at a loss for words, Mr. Reddy struggled to combat his emotions stopping midway through his speech to hold back his tears. ``He was simple, non-pareil and incomparable, a Bolshevik who adhered to parliamentary norms.''

It wasn't just his fellow-thinkers who showered praises. Mr. Anant Geete of the Shiv Sena), a party Mr. Gupta opposed tooth and nail, demanded building a memorial in the Parliament compound befitting his stature. The Union Agriculture Minister and Samata Party leader, Mr. Nitish Kumar, urged the Speaker to ensure a compilation of Mr. Gupta's speeches for the benefit of younger members.

The former Prime Minister, Mr. S. Chandrashekhar, said Indian politics and Parliament were poorer by his death, while Mrs. Krishna Bose (Trinamool Congress) described how sad Mr. Gupta had been in his last few days over the deteriorating standards in Parliament.

Two former Prime Ministers, Mr. H. D. Deve Gowda and Mr. Inder Kumar Gujral, in whose Cabinet Mr. Gupta was Home Minister, also paid respects. Mr. Gowda said the country lost an uncompromising fighter for the emancipation of the poor, the exploited and the backward classes.

Mr. Gujral said Mr. Gupta was a model of integrity with a remarkable insight into and deep knowledge of historical and social backgrounds of various issues that came before him in his capacity as Home Minister. ``He handled them skilfully and more than anything else, with a humane touch.''

The CPI central office here issued a two-page black border communique recounting his contribution to the party and politics, stating the country lost an outstanding parliamentarian and trade unionist of world repute and the communist movement an ideal communist.

The CPI(M) politburo described Mr. Gupta as one loyal and devoted to the communist movement and said his death was a big loss to the Left and trade union movements. The CPI-ML, the All-India Trade Union Congress, the Samata Party and the Janata Dal (United) joined in paying their respects as did join the Union Ministers, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi and Mrs. Sushma Swaraj.

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