Calcutta, Jan. 17: Jyoti Basu interrupted Prakash Karat’s lecture this morning.

The general secretary was holding a party class at the CPM’s Calcutta unit office auditorium when he learnt that Basu had passed away. He cancelled the class, on “Identity politics and the Left’s role”, halfway.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was to take an afternoon class on the current political situation but it was deferred because of Basu’s death.

Karat lauded Basu as the “greatest leader of Bengal and India, an ardent communist who had deepened democracy and strengthened secularism”.

“He was the symbol of Left and secular-democratic forces in the country. He taught the communists how to work in Parliament and bring changes in the (government) policies,” he said.

But as these secular allies began questioning the CPM’s refusal to let Basu become Prime Minister in 1996, Karat ducked the subject.

“Everybody has the right to express their opinion. What can I say?” he said.

His wife, politburo member Brinda Karat, broke down on hearing the news of Basu’s death and was misty-eyed even in the afternoon at the party office.

The chief minister, as soon as he received confirmation of the death, called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party sources said. In the evening, Bhattacharjee kept his emotions in check as he read out a brief condolence message at the state party headquarters.

Describing Basu as “a living legend” and a “revered leader”, he said: “He was our guardian. He was respected by all sections of the people, both at home and abroad. He led the Left Front government for five consecutive terms.’’

The party politburo statement listed land reforms, implementation of the panchayati raj and the absence of communal strife in Bengal as Basu’s achievements as an administrator. His “significant role in national politics” included uniting the Left and secular parties both against the Congress and the BJP.

It described Basu as a “Marxist who never wavered in his convictions” despite the fall of the Soviet Union, but acknowledged that he was a “Marxist who was not dogmatic”.

The politburo statement referred tersely to the debate on the party’s refusal to let Basu become Prime Minister but was silent on his later description of the party decision as an “historic blunder”.