CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta passes away

Veteran CPI leader and former MP Gurudas Dasgupta passed away on Thursday following a prolonged illness , party sources said.

He was 83. Dasgupta is survived by his wife and daughter.

He was suffering from lung cancer for last several months, West Bengal CPI secretary Swapan Banerjee said.

"He (Dasgupta) passed away at his home in Kolkata at 6 am. He was suffering from lung cancer for quite some time. Due to his poor health he had relinquished party posts but was a member of CPI national executive council," Banerjee said.

Dasgupta, known for his oratory skills, is a veteran trade union leader of AITUC.

He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1985. He was also a member of the Lok Sabha from Panskura in 2004 and Ghatal in 2009.