“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. He would have set an example for others to follow,” Yadav told mediapersons outside AMRI Hospital where had gone to pay a visit to the ailing leader.

He said Basu had lost by a single vote in the CPM Central Committee meet on the issue of allowing the veteran leader to become the prime minister.

“It was an unfortunate decision by the CPM as Basu is a leader above party lines,” he added.

Meanwhile, the condition of Marxist patriarch slightly improved on Sunday. The team of doctors looking into him termed his condition as critical but expressed satisfaction after his body responded to blood pressure stabilising drugs.

“He is still on partial ventilation but has developed some positive signs. He is responding to our call,” Dr A K Maity, head of the medical board.

Basu’s cardiovascular functioning is more or less stable and his urine output has picked up in the morning. His haemoglobin count has improved and in the evening, his blood pressure showed positive signs. Throughout the day, a small amount of liquid food was given to Basu through nasogastric tube. Susrut Banerjee, a doctor on the medical board, told mediapersons that Basu was moving his hands.