JYOTI BASU IS NO MORE WITH US

KOLKATA, 17th January, 2010: Most precious and last gem of 'Navaratna', living legend of communist movement in India Jyoti Basu is nore with us. He died in a Kolkata hospital on Sunday. He was 97.

"I have to give you a sad news that Jyoti babu is no longer with us," Biman Basu, chairman of the West Bengal Left Front committee, announced to reporters a little around 12-15 hrs. Basu, who had suffered multi-organ failure was on a temporary pacemaker since late last night.

Basu's personal physician Dr Ajit Kumar Maity said that the veteran leader breathed his last at 11-47 hrs IST at the AMRI Hospital, Saltlake, where he was admitted with pneumonia on January one. He was put on a ventilator on January 6.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, who was in Kolkata, said: "We have just learnt that Jyoti Basu has passed away. He strode like a colossus on the Indian political scene for several decades. He was a great patriot, a great democrat. He lived a full life."

"For the last fortnight, he suffered a lot. The West Bengal government has provided him with the best medical care in the country. We are deeply sad at his passing away. I offer my sincere condolence to his family and the people of West Bengal,” said Chidambaram.

Basu, a widower, died at 11.47 a.m. He leaves behind his only son Chandan.

A charismatic leader, he served as West Bengal Chief Minister from 21st June 1977 to 6th November 2000, heading five successive Left Front governments. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described him as "a great son of India' on his visit to Kolkata on Saturday.

The CPI(M) veteran, who helped prop up four coalition regimes in New Delhi despite himself never venturing beyond the state assembly, was admitted to the AMRI Hospital on January 1 following chest congestion and infection. He was shifted to the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) on January 2, and put on ventilator support on January 6 after the respiratory problem became acute.

Many of the CPI(M) leaders and supporters including party general secretary Prakash Karat, who had gathered near the hospital in large numbers hearing of the worsening condition of their leader, seemed inconsolable.

Basu reached the zenith of his political career in 1996 when a combination of parties gave birth to the United Front nationally and unanimously asked Basu to lead the federal government as prime minister.

However, the CPI(M) declined the offer saying it would not head a national government whose policies it would not be able to control.

Basu also played the kingmaker's role adroitly. He helped in stitching together coalition governments led by V P Singh in 1989, H D Deve Gowda in 1996 and I K Gujral in 1997.

In 2004, Basu and another CPI(M) stalwart Harkishan Singh Surjeet impressed upon the Left parties to lend outside support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of Manmohan Singh.

Born on July 8, 1914 in Kolkata, Basu became a barrister from London's Lincoln Inn but decided to embrace communism after coming into close contact British Communist leaders like Harry Pollitt and Rajani Palme Dutt.

On returning to India, Basu became a whole-timer of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and worked among railway workers. He won his maiden election to the Bengal Legislative Assembly in 1946 from the Railway Constituency, and fast emerged as the most effective voice of the opposition in the House.

After India's independence, Basu was elected to the state Legislative Assembly on 11 occasions.
When the CPI split in 1964, Basu became one of the founding leaders of the CPI(M).

In 1967 and 1969, Basu was deputy chief minister of consecutive United Front governments. He lost only a rigged election to the assembly in 1972, but became the chief minister five years later heading the first Left Front government.

Under Basu's leadership, the Left Front government brought about agrarian reforms through Operation Barga, devolution of power to local rural bodies or panchayats and introduced various relief measures and experimented in agricultural development through government support to the small holdings.

Basu stepped down for health reasons in November 2000, but as the CPI(M) Politburo member he continued to play a big role in the party and national politics.

Concerned Big B visits Jyoti Basu

KOLKATA, 16 January, 2010: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan on Saturday night visited communist patriarch Jyoti Basu at the AMRI Hospitals and inquired about his condition. Jyoti Basu is in a critical state and multi-organ failure has set in.

Big B stayed for nearly 20 minutes but didn't not speak to media where a huge crowd gathered to see him. Earlier, Bachchan said he was pained to see Jyoti Basu battling for life in hospital. "I have met him once or twice. We had come to collect subscription for the film industry. He was very powerful and hard-working," recalled Big B.

"He was the chief minister of West Bengal for a record period. I am feeling very bad to see him suffering like this. I hope he gets well," said Bachchan on a visit to Kolkata to promote his new film Rann.

Earlier during a visit to the city, Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan also expressed his respect and concern for Jyoti Basu.

PM wishes Jyoti Basu a speedy recovery

KOLKATA, 16 January, 2010: Describing Jyoti Basu as a “great son of India”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday wished the critically ill Marxist patriarch a speedy recovery.

“I would like to make a mention of another very distinguished old boy of St. Xavier’s and a great son of India, Shri Jyoti Basu. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and I wish him a speedy recovery,” the prime minister said, addressing the 150th anniversary celebrations of St. Xavier’s Collegiate School here.

Basu, hospitalised at the AMRI Hospital since Jan 1, is very critical after suffering multi-organ failure.The prime minister had visited the AMRI hospital Jan 7 and offered to arrange for expert doctors for his treatment.

Following his offer, the attending doctors held a tele-conference with specialists at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.

Jyoti Basu's condition extremely critical: Doctors

KOLKATA, 16th January, 2010: Veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu's condition was "extremely" critical on Saturday and he was put on maximum ventilator support, doctors attending on him said. "Basu's condition is extremely critical and he has been put on maximum ventilation today. His blood pressure had dropped last night (Friday) and later it was managed with high volume of medicines," the afternoon medical bulletin released by the AMRI Hospital said.

The 95-year-old Communist leader's urine output had also dropped in the night. "The doctors will conduct a slow-low efficiency daily dialysis (SLEDD) on Basu on Saturday. This special dialysis process will continue for almost eight hours," the bulletin said. The former West Bengal chief minister suffered multi-organ failure Friday evening.

According to doctors, the level of carbon dioxide in Basu's body increased after which he was given more ventilator support. "He is now under round the clock medical observation," the medical report added. Earlier, cardiologist A K Maity, who heads the eight-member medical board treating the Basu, said his heart and liver function had deteriorated and the sensorium of the brain was also very low.

According to hospital sources, the medical board will again meet in the evening to review Basu's health condition and issue a medical bulletin at around 7pm. Basu was hospitalized after a pneumonia attack and admitted in the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) of the Salt Lake-based private hospital on January 1.

Jyoti Basu showing signs of multi-organ failure: Doctors

KOLKATA, 15 January, 2010: Veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu's condition deteriorated further on Friday and doctors attending to him said he was showing signs of multi-organ failure.

"Basu is showing signs of multi-organ failure. His lung is not functioning properly and he has been put on ventilator support. His cardiac and renal systems are also not working enough," Susrut Bannerjee, a doctor attending to Basu, told reporters.

"His blood pressure is being maintained through medicine and the dialysis is still on. The heart's pumping is also not adequate," Bannerjee, critical care specialist at the AMRI Hospital, said. "His health condition has further deteriorated today (Friday)," he said, adding the doctors will continue to conduct dialysis on him.

The 95-year-old Communist icon was hospitalised after a pneumonia attack and admitted in the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) of the Salt Lake-based private hospital January 1.

Born 1914 in Kolkata, Basu became chief minister of West Bengal in June 1977. He stepped down voluntarily on health grounds in November 2000.

Basu undergoes haemo-dialysis, condition very critical

Kolkata, Jan 14 (PTI) : CPI(M) patriarch Jyoti Basu tonight underwent a two-hour haemo-dialysis after further deterioration in his cardiac and renal functions and his condition was unstable and very critical, his personal physician A K Maity said."He received haemo-dialysis well, but his condition remains very critical and unstable," Maity, who is on the medical board at AMRI Hospital, where the 95-year-old former chief minister Basu is admitted, told PTI.Maity, who was accompanied by cardiologist Suvanan Roy, said "If required, we will put him on dialysis for another two hours tonight and if not for two hours tomorrow morning." Basu's other health parameters were being monitored, Maity said, adding some members of the medical Board would meet late tonight for a review.Earlier, AMRI Hospital Executive Director D N Agarwal said he had been put on haemo-dialysis which would continue for four hours.

Jyoti Basu still critical, but infection level slightly down

KOLKATA, 13th January, 2010: Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu, who has been hospitalised with pneumonia, is still critical though the bacterial infection in the 95-year-old leader's body was marginally down, the doctors said Wednesday.

The former West Bengal chief minister, who is in the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) on ventilation support, would be given a unit of blood during the day, the AMRI hospital said in a medical bulletin.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist leader was given a unit of blood Tuesday to improve his haemoglobin count which had come down. "He is still critical and still on ventilation. But the infection count has marginally come down. Urine output is also stable," the bulletin said. Microbiological tests had earlier revealed the existence of several bacteria in his lungs.

Basu was admitted to the Salt Lake hospital near his residence Indira Bhavan Jan 1. He was shifted to the ICCU the next day and put on ventilator support Jan 6 following acute respiratory problems. Basu underwent a brain scan Tuesday that showed no change in an old clot he had developed after a fall in his bathroom in 2008. CPI(M) Kerala state secretary Pinarai Vijayan, Party polit bureau member and Kerala home minister Kodiyedi Balakrishanan Wednesday visited ailing Marxist patriarch at hospital and wished him speedy recovery.

Born 1914 in Kolkata, Basu became West Bengal chief minister in June 1977. He stepped down voluntarily on health grounds in November 2000.

No fever, but Basu still critical: Hospital

KOLKATA, 12th January, 2010: The unchanged vital parameters of CPI(M) patriarch Jyoti Basu — in spite of aggressive medication — are beginning to worry the team of doctors treating him. From Monday evening, there has been a slight increase in his temperature and a marginal drop in urine output, triggering fresh alarm. However, Tuesday evening in medical buletin doctors said that he is out of fever since last eight hours.

The sudden onset of fever triggered a flurry late on Monday, with doctors feeling that suppressing it could be counterproductive. ‘‘Fever can indicate that the body is resisting the infection,’’ a medicine specialist said. Basu is still in critical condition and continues to remain on ventilator support. His senses have not shown any signs of improvement. The 95-year-old former chief minister tried to open his eyes when doctors called out to him on Monday but could not. The cortisol test report, which reached the doctors on Monday evening, is not very encouraging, either. Sources said that the ailing leader’s muscles are showing signs of weakening. He continues to be administered medication to maintain his blood pressure and urine output. ‘‘The only saving grace is that his body is responding to these medicines,’’ a doctor said.

Sources said that patients admitted in ICU can get fever from infectious and non-infectious causes. Pneumonia is one of the most common causes for fever among ICU patients. The CPM patriarch already had pneumonia when he was admitted to hospital on New Year’s Day. Though tests revealed that there was no further inflammation of pneumonia, but the problem persists.

A hospital official said on Tuesday "Jyoti Basu is still critical but he has not had any fever in the last eight hours." The communist patriarch had mild fever earlier the day. "The condition of his kidney is better and we are ruling out dialysis for the moment," he added.The doctors have also done a CT scan on him.Earlier this afternoon, a hospital spokesperson said, "His body immunity is low because of his age. That's why he is more prone to infections. He had mild fever, but it has been subdued with medication now."Basu continues to be on partial ventilation.The 95-year-old politician was admitted at the AMRI Hospitals in Salt Lake with chest congestion on January 1. He was diagnosed with pneumonia.

'No improvement in Basu's condition': Medical Board

KOLKATA, January 11, 2010: No major improvement has been found in the condition of former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu, according to a latest medical bulletin issued here Monday.

“He is marginally better; no major improvemnets have been found in his condition so far,” the bulletin said. “The crisis period is not over yet.”A hospital official said Basu’s central nervous system is a little better and his cardio-vascular system is more of less stable."His lungs have shown signs of improvement and his urine output has picked up," he said, ruling out dialysis at the moment.“His blood pressure is also under control with the help of medication.” Doctors are constantly monitoring Basu's health condition and the next medical bulletin on his health will be issued at 7 pm.

The 95-year-old communist patriarch was admitted on Jan 1 in the AMRI Hospitals at Salt Lake with chest congestion and he was diagnosed with pneumonia.Former West Bengal chief minister and Congress leader Siddhartha Shankar Roy visited Basu Monday morning. Roy and Basu shared a cordial relation despite being political rivals.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan Monday wished ailing communist patriarch Jyoti Basu speedy recovery, saying the country needed people like him to be hale and hearty.“The country needs people like him hale and hearty,” Shah Rukh told media persons here.

Shah Rukh said while on his way from the airport he was planning to drop in at the AMRI hospital where Basu is now battling pneumonia. “But I decided not to go as my visit may create a disturbance,” he said.

Shah Rukh said he felt sad to see images of Basu in the hospital. “I pray to Allah that he gets well soon.”The actor said he had met Basu when he came here for a film promo some years back.

Jyoti Basu ’slightly better’, responding to calls

KOLKATA, 10th January, 2010: The condition of Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu was a little better Sunday though he is still on partial ventilator support. The 95-year-old leader is responding to calls, doctors attending on him said.

In their Sunday morning medical bulletin, doctors at the AMRI hospital said Basu’s general condition was “slightly better compared to yesterday, but still critical” and he continues to be on partial ventilator support.

On Saturday, they had described his condition as deteriorating and said he had slipped into a state of drowsiness. He was admitted Jan 1 for pneumonia. Doctors said Sunday Basu’s central nervous system is better than Saturday and he is “responding to calls”.

His cardiovascular function is “more or less stable and his urine output has picked up under medication”. There was no necessity of dialysis, it said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been concerned over the veteran Marxist leader’s health and had visited the city on Thursday to call on him. The doctors of AMRI hospital are in touch with a team of specialists at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi over Basu’s treatment.

Basu as PM would have changed India for better: Mulayam

KOLKATA, JANUARY 10, 2010: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today said had Jyoti Basu been allowed to become the prime minister of the country, people would have seen a better India."I am sure the situation of the country would have been much better, if Jyoti Basu was allowed by his party to take up the job offered by the United Front in 1996," Yadav told reporters after visiting the ailing Marxist leader at a hospital here.

Basu would have set an example for others to follow, if he had become the country's premier, he said. Yadav claimed that Basu had lost by a single vote the CPI(M) politburo election on the issue of allowing the veteran leader to become the prime minister of the country."It was an unfortunate decision by the CPI(M) politburo as Basu is a leader above party line," he said. Yadav wished Basu a speedy recovery. 'He had admirable guts and fighting spirit. But it has been my biggest regret that though we all wanted to make Basu prime minister, the CPI(M) supreme body did not allow him to take up the post,' Yadav told mediapersons after visiting the critically ill leader at the private AMRI hospital.

'Had Jyoti Basu been the prime minister, then those succeeding him would have been more mindful of the chair. Had he been allowed to become prime minister, it would have raised the prestige of the chair,' Yadav, who is also the Samajwadi Party chief, said.

He recalled the happenings of 1996 when the United Front comprising several national parties and regional outfits proposed Basu's name for the top post, only to be vetoed twice by the CPI(M) central committee.

'I was told by the then CPI(M) general secretary, H.K.S. Surjeet that the committee has decided by one vote that he cannot be prime minister. 'He is an ideal leader... the country's greatest leader. We should all take inspiration from him. I have come to wish him a speedy recovery,' Yadav added.

Jyoti Basu in critical state : Buddhadeb

Barasat (WB), 9th January, 2010: Bringing the latest news on the condition of party patriarch Jyoti Basu to the people of Barasat, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday said his condition of was critical.

“Basu is in a critical state. The doctors treating him are concerned. We want him to recover,” he said while addressing a Left Front meeting. The chief minister said Basu had pneumonia and was not ready to go to the hospital, but looking at his deteriorating condition, the party leaders insisted.

“We took no risk and had him admitted (to hospital) on January 1,” he said. “Doctors at the private AMRI hospital, where Basu was admitted, had consulted specialists of All India Institute of Medical Sciences regarding Basu’s treatment,” he said.

Highlighting the highs and lows of the Left Front government in the past 33 years, Bhattacharjee said the former CM rectified the mistake of removing English from the primary education syllabus on his own initiative.

Accepting that removing English from primary education was wrong, the CM said: “We know how to rectify our mistakes. One of the biggest instances of such rectification is that English was brought back in the syllabus of primary education through Jyoti Basu’s initiative.”

On a different note, he lambasted Trinamool Congress for their alleged alliance with Maoists in the state and said they did not playing the role of a responsible Opposition in the state. “We are saying this time and again that Trinamool has links with Maoists. They have joined hands at every level everywhere,” the chief minister said.

“All we want to say is that what they (Trinamool) are doing is dangerous. You (Trinamool) are inviting a dangerous force,” he said.

“Whenever we call them (the Trinamool) for all party meetings at any level, they refuse. They are not playing the role of a responsible Opposition. They are giving wrong political message,” he said.

All Road now towards AMRI Hospitals, Saltlake

V S Achuthanandan, Chief Minister of Kerala

Biman Basu, West Bengal State Secretary, CPI(M)

MD. Amin, General Secretary, CITU

Nirupam Sen, Polit Bureau Member, CPI(M)

A B Bardhan, General Secretary, CPI

D D Lapang, CM of Meghalaya

Jyoti Basu’s condition worsens

KOLKATA,9th January, 2010: The condition of Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu deteriorated Saturday with the doctors saying the 95-year-old leader has slipped into drowsiness and his internal organs were affected.“There has been deterioration of his general condition,” said a medical bulletin of the AMRI Hospital, where Basu is being kept in the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) on partial ventilator support.

“He has developed fluid retention, and there has been a drop in urine output. He is also feeling drowsy. This signifies involvement of multiple organs,” the bulletin said.

The former West Bengal chief minister was admitted to the hospital near his Salt Lake residence Jan 1 following chest congestion and infection. The Communist Party of India(Marxist) leader was put on ventilator support early Jan 6 after an acute respiratory problem.

“He is still on partial ventilation. All adequate measures are being taken by the medical team,” said the bulletin. Hospital executive director D.N. Agarwal, who read out the bulletin, said the board will again examine the critically ill leader in the evening.

An attending doctor said Basu has an irregular heartbeat. He was being given liquid food. A bronchoscopy done on Basu has revealed that the pneumonia attack was aggravated by some highly drug-resistant bacteria strains.

Doctors were now awaiting the drug sensitivity report of his lung fluid culture test. “Once we receive the report Saturday, we will zero in on a particular antibiotic,” said the doctor. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the hospital Thursday and has been monitoring the health condition of the veteran leader.

Following an offer from the prime minister to arrange for specialists, the medical board held a tele-conference with experts from the country’s premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Friday.

Subhas Chakraborty suffered at AMRI: Ramola

KOLKATA, January 08, 2010: Five months after the death of former state transport minister Subhas Chakraborty, his wife Ramola on Friday blamed the poor infrastructure at the AMRI Hospital for his death.

Ramola’s allegations come even as former chief minister and Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu battles for life in the same hospital.

Coming out of the hospital where she had gone to see the 95-year-old leader, Ramola said the hospital could not realise the gravity of Chakraborty’s condition when he was admitted on July 27, 2009.

“At that time I did not realise that the hospital lacked proper infrastructure. Now, it is a cause of my discontent,” said Ramola and added, “The medical board was constituted three days after his death and only when we insisted on it.”

“My complaints are against the doctors. But they will say that he was a cancer patient,” she said and alleged that it took four days for the hospital to do a scan. “Pneumonia was detected after a scan on July 31,” she said. Chakraborty died on August 3.

Asked whether she had at the time wished to take her husband out of AMRI, she said, “I told them if you can’t do anything, release him.”

She, however, said she would not lodge any complaint nor go to Human Rights Commission. “What is the use now? I feel relieved to some extent after saying this,” she added.

She, however, said that her remark has nothing to do with the treatment that the hospital is currently offering to Basu. “I don’t see anything wrong with Basu’s treatment. I am talking only about the failure in Subhas Chakraborty’s treatment,” she added.

Asked on the timing of her allegations, she replied, “If I had said this after my husband’s death, the AMRI hospital would have been ransacked. I wanted to avoid it.”

Following her allegations, the management of the AMRI Hospital said that it they were ready to probe into it. “We are sending a message to Ramola Chakraborty through the media that if she has complaints she may send it to the hospital. We will investigate her allegations,” said Debasish Sharma, superintendent of the hospital. “Subhas Chakraborty died despite our efforts to save him,” Sharma added.

CPI(M) made no direct comment on Ramola's remarks. A senior party leader said the issue was between Ramola and the hospital authorities the party had nothing to do with it. Knowing that Ramola’s allegations could put a question mark on Basu’s treatment CPI(M) Central Committee member Shyamal Chakraborty, said: “Ramola has not complained about Jyoti Basu’s treatment.”

Meanwhile, Ramola said that she had not informed the party about the medical negligence. She said that she had no complaint against her party. “The party has realised what it has lost in his death.”

Drug-resistant bacteria hindering Basu's recovery

KOLKATA, 8th January, 2010 : Three highly drug-resistant bacteria are responsible for the pneumonia infection Basu is suffering from, according to a critical care specialist at the AMRI hospital.

A bronchoscopy confirmed the presence of acinatobactor, paseudomonas and klebselia bacteria, Sursut Banerjee of the AMRI said. “We have sent the samples to the laboratory for culture sensitivity and a report is expected tomorrow... After receiving the report, we will determine the exact type of anti-biotic to be administered to check the infection,” Banerjee said, adding insertion of Riles, oxygen and oral tubes in the last three or four days might have caused fresh infection.

Stating that Basu’s condition was still critical, Banerjee said his blood pressure was 130/70-80. “His urination and heart beat are normal and his brain is responding,” the doctor said. He said the former chief minister was not given sedatives during the day. “He is on partial ventilation,” he said.

H D DeveGowda pays glowing tributes to ailing Jyoti Basu

KOLKATA, 8th January, 2010: Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan and Meghalaya CM D D Lapang were among the dignitaries who visited Jyoti Basu on Friday. "Doctors told me that he is better now," Achuthanandan said.

Basu's heart rate and blood pressure are not yet satisfactory and he is still on ventilator. "A person whose blood pressure has to be kept normal with medication is always critical," said Susrut Bandyopadhyay, critical care consultant and a member of the medical board. Blood tests have revealed that Basu is infected with salmonella and acinetobacter bacteria. Eight specialists from AIIMS, including pulmonologist R Guleria, cardiologist V K Bahl and neurologist Tameshwar Prasad, spoke to Basu's medical board and reportedly expressed satisfaction with the line of treatment.

The meeting was arranged with the help of the Prime Minister's Office and chief minister's secretariat. The video conference was a glitched affair, though, with the link failing twice. Doctors later held a tele-conference. The CM secretariat had asked for a list of specialists from Delhi to assess Basu's condition. A nephrologist has been included. "Both teams agree that advanced age is the main hindrance to his speedy recovery," said D N Agrawal, executive director of AMRI Hospitals.

Deve Gowda paid glowing tributes to the ailing leader and recalled the dramatic way he became Prime Minister in 1996. "We went to request Jyoti Basu to become Prime Minister but he shifted the responsibility to me. He, alone, was responsible for my becoming PM. He made a sacrifice and I became PM. I'll remember that. His 25-year-rule in Bengal was the golden era of the state. Not even his enemies can point to any corruption charges during his tenure," Gowda said. "Though the doctors couldn't wake him up, he lifted his hand when they called out my name," he said. Describing Basu as the "revolutionary of land reforms", Gowda said other states learnt from him. "I remember Ramkrishna Hegde had sent his panchayat minister to Bengal when he was chief minister of Karnataka. The Bengal land reforms policy was followed in Karnataka. He is the role model for all chief ministers and politicians," Gowda said.

Basu’s ventilation support reduced

Kolkata, 7th January, 2010: Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu, hospitalised Jan 1 following a pneumonia attack, did not exhibit any significant improvement Thursday, though his ventilator support was partially reduced, doctors said.

A morning medical bulletin issued by the hospital said the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) veteran had fluctuating blood pressure. However, the evening bulletin said the use of blood-pressure stabilising drugs has been reduced. “Today (Thursday) there was no significant improvement in his condition. But one good thing is that his ventilation support has been reduced to partial,” said the bulletin. Basu was put on a ventilator early Wednesday following acute respiratory problems.

A steady stream of political luminaries called on Basu Thursday. Governor Devanand Konwar, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, his Assam counterpart Tarun Gogoi, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and his party comrades Brinda Karat and Sitaram Yechury were among those who visited the hospital.

Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya also visited the ailing leader, who holds the record for the longest stint as chief minister after having being at the helm of affairs in the state for 23 uninterrupted years.

Who’s who of Indian politics visit Jyoti Basu

Kolkata, Jan 7 (IANS): Many political luminaries, among them Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, winged their way to Kolkata Thursday to look up ailing Marxist veteran Jyoti Basu, in a critical condition at AMRI Hospital following a pneumonia attack.

Manmohan Singh paid a 22-minute visit to the nonagenarian former chief minister, who is on ventilator support at the Salt Lake-based private hospital. The prime minister reached AMRI at around 1 p.m. and headed for the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) where Basu is being treated since Jan 1.

According to Left Front chairman Biman Bose, Manmohan Singh offered all possible support for Basu’s treatment.

This apart, union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee - who accompanied Manmohan Singh during the brief visit, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, West Bengal Governor Devanand Konwar and union Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi visited the hospital to see the Marxist patriarch.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat was there too. Senior CPI-M leaders Brinda Karat, Sitaram Yechury and Shyamal Chakraborty also visited the hospital Thursday.

“We are very concerned about his health and the best is being done to improve his condition,” Prakash Karat told reporters after emerging from the hospital.

Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya also visited the ailing leader.

Security was beefed up in and around the hospital premises. Entry to the hospital was restricted and traffic was diverted on nearby roads.

The state government also deployed a large number of armed policemen, including Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel, to ensure security for the political luminaries.

Thousands of well wishers and party supporters gathered in front of the hospital to enquire about Basu’s health. A number of scribes and camerapersons were also seen anxiously standing outside the main gate of the hospital.

Laxman Ray, a tea kiosk owner who sits opposite to the hospital, said business has been brisk for the last two days.

“My sales have shot up remarkably in the past two days with the snowballing crowds of people coming to see Basu,” Ray said.

Prime Minister 'anxious' for Jyoti Basu, offers to fly in docs

KOLKATA, 7th January, 2010(IANS): A "concerned and anxious" Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday visited Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu, who is in a critical condition at AMRI, Saltlake hospital here, and offered to arrange for any medical expert needed to treat the 96 year-old former chief minister.

The Prime Minister spent 22 minutes at the hospital in Kolkata's satellite township Salt Lake, where Basu is on ventilator support at the intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU) after a pneumonia attack. Basu was admitted on January 1.

Manmohan Singh was accompanied by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The Prime Minister saw Basu from outside the ICCU and discussed his condition with doctors.

"He told them that if they thought it necessary, he would arrange for any expert doctors from any part of the country," former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee told mediapersons. He said Manmohan Singh also spoke to Basu's son Chandan and extended his best wishes for the ailing leader's speedy recovery. "We are deeply touched by the trouble the prime minister has taken to come and visit our leader," said Chatterjee, an expelled CPI(M) leader.

Union Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi said the Prime Minister was "concerned and anxious" about Jyoti Basu's condition. "Jyoti Basu is very precious. The Government of India is ready to do anything that can be done. It is for the asking of the doctors. The doctors have said if they feel the need, they will definitely put in such a request," said Trivedi.

Chandan Basu said the doctors told the Prime Minister that the hospital had the best of specialists. "I am also satisfied with the treatment. I don't think there is any need to fly in any doctor."

The prime minister had arrived in Kolkata from Delhi in a special aircraft around 12.30 p.m. to visit Basu. After the brief one-and-a-half hour visit to the city, he left from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport for Delhi. Entry was restricted to the hospital ahead of the prime minister's visit and traffic was diverted on nearby roads. Jammers were installed and Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel threw a security cordon around the hospital.

The state government deployed a large number of armed policemen, Special Action Force (SAF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel to ensure foolproof security for the prime minister. The doctors too had to undergo security checks before being allowed to enter the hospital on Thursday morning.