Thaindian News

Kolkata, Dec 17 (IANS) Mamata Banerjee’s mother Gayatri Banerjee, who was a pillar of strength for West Bengal’s first woman chief minister, passed away here Saturday morning. She was 81.

Suffering from age related illness for the last few years, Gayatri was admitted to a hospital Nov 25 with kidney-related ailments and was on ventilator support for the last few days.

She passed away at 8.35 a.m., Trinamool leaders said.

“Mamata Banerjee’s mother has passed away today morning,” said party leader and union Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Pratibha Patil, and Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee condoled her death.

“I was deeply sorry to hear of the passing away of your mother this morning,” the prime minister said in a message to Banerjee sent from Moscow, where he was on a three-day official visit.

President Patil remembered Gayatri Devi as a woman with a “will of steel”.

In her condolence message to Banerjee, she said: “Gayatri Devi was a woman who had a will of steel. After the loss of your father when you were young, she gave you guidance and provided the environment at home necessary for your development.”

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar personally visited Banerjee’s Kalighat residence Saturday evening and expressed her condolences.

A delegation of West Bengal Left Front, led by its chairman Biman Bose and Forward Bloc state secretary Ashok Ghosh, visited the chief minister’s residence Saturday afternoon to pay their last respects to Gayatri Devi.

Many actors, renowned personalities and writers also visited Banerjee’s residence, while party leaders and state ministers assembled at the SSKM Hospital where Gayatri Devi passed away.

Hundreds of party workers and leaders from across the state had assembled at Kalighat to pay their last respects.

The last rites of Gayatri Devi were performed at Keoratala Ghat.

Banerjee Friday rushed back from New Delhi after the condition of her mother worsened.

A few days back, the chief minister said she was missing her mother’s smiling face.

“I am missing my mother’s smiling face at home as she is in hospital. I always make it a point to look at her face before leaving home because it helps me get my work done,” Banerjee told a Bengali TV channel.

She also lamented that she was unable to visit her mother at SSKM Hospital for several days.

A few months after taking over as chief minister, Banerjee said she touches her mother’s feet everyday before going out. She added that her mother gives her Rs.10 everyday when she is in Kolkata and Rs.100 when she goes to New Delhi.