Assam PCC president Anjan Dutta, 64, who died in New Delhi this morning, donned many hats in his eventful career. But he will be most remembered for his successful stint as state transport minister and his fighting qualities when the going got tough for him - and his party.

This feat and traits are well-documented - and for this he made it to the PCC's top post. However, he was not as successful despite his combative and managerial skills as the Congress floundered in the April Assembly elections. Dutta was, however, praised by AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi for making the Assam unit one of the most active.

Handpicked by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to lead the state Youth Congress in 1988 and then his son Rahul to lead Assam PCC in December 2014, despite being questioned in the multi-crore Saradha scam, Dutta was the man the party turned to in times of crisis and was seen as a bridge between generations.

The three-time legislator from Amguri in Sivasagar district, Dutta had literally worked overtime when former chief minister Tarun Gogoi was facing dissidence within the Congress Legislature Party (CLP).

According to PCC secretary Kalyan Gogoi, a close aide of Dutta from his college days, he always led from the front, even in trying times.

"He was the Youth Congress chief when Ulfa was at its peak. He then led the PCC in trying times. He was a fighter, outspoken and took good care of people around him. He was at home with both the veterans and the youth. We will miss him," Kalyan said.

Dutta was a leading light of the state unit and the Opposition when the Congress lost elections in 1985 and 1996, something which was acknowledged by Gogoi and present leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia in their tributes to the departed leader. Dutta was also the chairperson of the Northeast Youth Congress Coordination Committee. He was credited with reviving the moribund Assam State Transport Corporation when he was minister in the first Tarun Gogoi cabinet (2001-2006).

Dutta used the simplest of tools to revive the ASTC. Cashing in on what it had, he generated revenue by renting out large empty ASTC yards to night super buses for parking, got private buses to operate under the ASTC banner and rented out shops and kiosks to private parties. These measures not only made the ASTC bus stand buzz with activities but also brought in much-needed cash for the beleaguered corporation. He was also a minister in the Hiteswar Saikia-led Congress government in 1991.

At the peak of his career, a section of the media went out of their way to run him down by labelling him tel sur (oil thief) in reference to crude oil pilferage in Assam.

Dutta refused to take this lying down. "I am not in politics for money. I was the one who requested a CBI probe into the oil theft racket in Assam. Go and check my business records in Sivasagar. I like cars and always try to be the first person to buy a new car when it enters the market. I was a successful first class contractor. So I couldn't have joined politics for money. Yet a section of the media labelled me an oil thief. After I returned as MLA in 2011, this section of the media never ever brought the charge against me," Dutta had told reporters.

The incident was enough to put Dutta off politics for a few years after the 2006 Assembly polls. When he returned as an MLA in 2011, crude oil theft was no longer an issue in Assam and the charge against Dutta was never proved.

A section of the media went after him even in the run-up to the 2016 Assembly polls after differences between him and then chief minister Gogoi over the selection of candidates came out in the open. This time, too, Dutta spoke his mind but was careful enough not to take things to the brink.

Apart from new cars, Dutta had an interest in writing, which led him to start a monthly magazine Anubhuti and a daily newspaper Ajir Dainik Batori. He was the editor of the magazine and the managing editor of the newspaper. Actively involved with sports organisations, Dutta was also known for his philanthropic deeds.

Born to Thaneswar, a Congressman, and Anjali in Sivasagar on April 13, 1952, Dutta started his political career early. Married to Ananya in 1986, the couple has three daughters. The eldest, Angkita, contested unsuccessfully from Amguri in these Assembly polls, a move which sparked criticism of his perpetuating dynastic rule. Like always, he countered it in his usual blunt style.

"If a doctor's son can become a doctor, what is wrong with my daughter becoming a politician? She is well-educated, hardworking and has worked in the constituency," Dutta had told The Telegraph, displaying his combative streak, a trait, Congress insiders say, the party will miss dearly.