Calcutta: Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, who rose through the ranks to become one of the most influential Congress leaders from Bengal and mentored several politicians who are notable figures in the Trinamul Congress now, died on Monday in New Delhi. He was 72.

He breathed his last at 12.10pm after battling for his life for the past nine years.

The five-time Lok Sabha member and former Union minister had suffered a stroke in October 2008, which left him paralysed and unable to speak. Blood supply to a part of his brain got cut off, causing irrevocable damage.

Das Munshi was Union minister of state for commerce in the Rajiv Gandhi government between 1985 and 1989. Later, he handled portfolios such as parliamentary affairs and information and broadcasting as a cabinet minister in the UPA I.

An articulate and dynamic leader known as an ace organiser, Das Munshi led an array of young leaders who rose to prominence in the 1960s.

Starting out as a student leader in the Calcutta University, Das Munshi became a Youth Congress leader, mentoring the several current Trinamul leaders like Subrata Mukherjee, Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Saugata Roy.

Known for his proximity to the Nehru-Gandhi family, Das Munshi was considered one of the most influential Congress leader from Bengal in recent decades, alongside Pranab Mukherjee.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi condoled the death.

"Remembering him as a devout political activist and one of the tallest leaders of West Bengal in recent times, Smt. Gandhi said that his immense work at the grassroots would be remembered for posterity," read a statement issued by the party.

"Despite his prolonged illness, he remained popular in imagination of his people. His death is an irreparable loss to the Congress party and the country," it added.

Subrata Mukherjee, now the panchayat minister in the Mamata Banerjee government, said he had lost "kin of the soul".

"I lost my best friend, my brother, my father, once again. I owe my whole life, political and personal, to Priyada. We were always a duo, always Priya-Subrata," said the 71-year-old leader.

"It was because of him that the Left-led United Front lost power, and Siddhartha Shankar Ray could become chief minister of Bengal in 1972," he added.

Das Munshi's political talent resulted in his meteoric rise in the Congress under Indira Gandhi and he became an AICC member in 1970 at the age of 25.

The following year, he debuted in the Lok Sabha from the erstwhile South Calcutta constituency. That year, he was also elected president of the All India Youth Congress.

After being removed from the post by Sanjay Gandhi in 1975, he left the party in 1979 and joined the Congress (Socialist), only to return a year later.

Following defeats in the Lok Sabha elections of 1989 and 1991, Das Munshi again entered the Lok Sabha in 1996.

Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee, whom Das Munshi strongly backed during her anti-land acquisition movements in Singur and Nandigram, announced a half-day holiday in mourning for state government employees.

The chief minister said she was "deeply saddened" by the death. "It is a great loss," she said.

Besides being a politician, Das Munshi's love for football drove him to become a sport administrator.

He was the first Indian match commissioner in the group stage Australia-Croatia match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Das Munshi was named chef de mission of the Indian contingent.

Das Munshi is survived by his wife, former Lok Sabha member Deepa Das Munshi, and son Priyadeep, nicknamed Michhil (rally).