The Hindu : Front Page : Basu a great patriot, says Manmohan

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Tuesday, Jan 19, 2010
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Basu a great patriot, says Manmohan

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: A host of dignitaries, including leaders and members of the diplomatic corps, visited the A.K. Gopalan Bhavan, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) office, here on Monday to pay tributes to veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu.

Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reached the party office in the morning separately and paid floral tributes, and recorded their comments in the condolence book.

Mr. Ansari said the country mourned a patriot and great statesman. The Prime Minister said India lost a great son who was a great statesman and a great patriot.

Dr. Singh informed CPI(M) leaders that he would not be able to go to Kolkata on account of official engagements.

The office received a steady stream of visitors, including External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, and his colleague, S.S. Ahluwalia, and Minister of State K.V. Thomas.

Envoys of Cuba, Russia, Pakistan and Iraq and representatives from China, and the U.K. also paid their tributes.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and BJP Parliamentary Party chairman L.K. Advani are scheduled to travel to Kolkata and pay their tributes.

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