Singh said Basu’s death marked the end of an era in the annals of Indian politics. He was a man of great integrity with a deep commitment to secular values, the Prime Minister said in his condolence message. Singh said that during more than 20 years at the helm of affairs in West Bengal, Basu proved himself to be one of the most able administrators and politicians of independent India. “Shri Basu will be remembered by the people of West Bengal for bringing stability and order to the state after the turbulent period of the early 70s and for rural transformation he brought about through his visionary land reforms and his style of democratic and decentralised governance,” Singh said.

“I have personally had a very long association with Shri Basu. On many occasions in my career, I turned to him for his sagacious advice on all matters, whether they were related to West Bengal or to issues of national importance,” he added.

Great loss for Bangladesh: Hasina