Veteran Marxist leader Harkishan Singh Surjeet died on Friday, August 1 following prolonged illness. In 1996, he was instrumental in keeping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power and eight years hence helped the Congress form a coalition government at the Centre. He was 92 years old.

It was since July 25 that Harkishan Singh Surjeet was convalescing at Noida’s Metro Hospital. Prakash Karat, the CPI (M) General Secretary informed that he breathed his last at 1335 hours. Just few months back in May, the ex-party General Secretary was hospitalized due to an acute cardiac arrest.

He, however, fought back and was discharged on June 3. The chief of Metro Hospital, Dr Purushottam Lal, confirmed that the Matrxist leader died due to cardiac arrest. He had played a crucial role in collaboration with another top Marxist leader Jyoti Basu in directing the President of Congress Sonia Gandhi to bring together secular forces after the 2004 general elections.     

By the time the Marxist veteran leader passed away, history turned a full circle as the CPI (M) took back its support from the Congress led coalition at the Centre. It turned into a firm rival of the ruling party on the issue of India’s nuclear deal with the United States.