Monitoring Indian Communists - 3

[Guest]

<b>Veteran CPM leader Surjeet passes away</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Noida, August1: Harkishan Singh Surjeet, the pragmatic Marxist leader, who played a key role in keeping BJP out of power in 1996 and helped Congress form a coalition government at the Centre eight years later, died in Noida, near Delhi, on Friday after prolonged illness.
92-year-old Surjeet, who was convalescing at the Metro Hospital in nearby Noida since July 25, breathed his last at 1335 hours, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->