“Indeed, it is a great loss not only for those of us in India but also for the world communist movement. Basu certainly wrote a new history, showing the way for communists in parliamentary elections. He played a crucial role in building the Left, secular, Third Front coalition against communal forces and the one-party domination at the Centre, and in making the Third Front a democratic force. He anchored the continuous victory of the Left movement in West Bengal for 23 years from 1977. After Nehru’s death, he took up Nehru’s legacy of insisting that Bangladesh, which shared a border with West Bengal, should get its due share of the waters of the Ganga. He was not just a political leader but a great statesman, and a true representative of the Indian people.” - V.S. Achuthanandan, Kerala Chief Minister.