Kolkata: One of the closest commanders of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Subrata Mukherjee died while being treated for cardiac ailments at a state-run hospital in Kolkata on Thursday. Mukherjee was 75 and is survived by his wife.
He had three other departments in his portfolio.
The veteran politician, who underwent angioplasty earlier this week, died at 9:22 pm after suffering a massive cardiac arrest, said state minister Firhad Hakim.
The chief minister, who was performing Kali Puja at her Kalighat residence, visited SSKM Hospital and announced that he was no more. Calling it a “big blow”, Mamata said, “Subrata Mukherjee was the life of the party, will not be able to see his body. He was supposed to be released from hospital.”
For Mamata, it is a massive loss as Mukherjee was her senior in her days of student politics. “I still can’t believe he is no longer with us. He was such a dedicated party leader. It is a personal loss for me,” she said.
Sources in the hospital said the minister had a ‘stent thrombosis’, one of the fatal complications of percutaneous coronary intervention.
“I have faced many disasters in my life but this is a very big blow. I do not think there will be another man like Subrata da, who was such a nice and hard-working person. The party and his constituency (Ballygunge) were his soul,” the CM said.
