“He held the CPM fort in West Bengal for a long time... the Communist movement has been affected. Basu was in the line of great leaders like E M S Namboodiripad, Bhupesh Gupta and Indrajit Gupta,” Advani said. “Our ideologies were different. Still, going by his greatness, I respect him and pay my tributes.”

BJP president Nitin Gadkari said, “Jyoti Basu was one of the tallest leaders of contemporary India. He was a leader committed to the weaker sections of the society. He remained firm and committed to his ideology and his sense of idealism.”

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj described Basu as “one of the tallest and experienced leaders of Indian politics who got the love and confidence of his people for many years, which is the most valuable thing for any leader in a democracy”. She said despite ideological differences with Basu, “he was worthy of our respect”. Swaraj said Basu's popularity was undiminished even after leaving the post of Chief Minister. “In this, I also consider him a very fortunate leader,” she added.