CPI today expressed grief over the demise of veteran All India Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh, who was hailed as the "pioneer" of Left unity.
"Ghosh was among the pioneers of Left unity. Before the emergence of the present Left Front, he had played a very important role in uniting the Left and democratic forces.
"He was among the builders of all anti-Congress governments between 1967 and 1970," the party said.
Ghosh, who played a vital role in the formation of the first Left Front government in West Bengal, died in Kolkata yesterday. He was 94.
A bachelor, Ghosh was admitted to a private hospital in the West Bengal state capital on February 2 with lower respiratory tract infection. He was put on ventilator support after his condition deteriorated.
