Kolkata, Aug 1 (IANS) Veteran Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Jyoti Basu Friday mourned the death of Harkishan Singh Surjeet, saying party workers should emulate his ability to work with patience. “He was a man of great political stature. Though he was two years younger to me, his health was not so good for the past few years. We worked together for the party and participated in a number of political programmes in India and abroad,” Basu said.

The former West Bengal chief minister said Surjeet’s death was a great loss to the party.

“He was loved by all his party workers. He used to travel across the country as the party’s general secretary, but I’ve never seen him losing his patience while doing any work.

“I would ask my partymen to learn how to work patiently like comrade Surjeet,” Basu said.

Surjeet, 92, died Friday at the Metro Hospital in Noida after a prolonged illnes.