Kabindra Purkayastha, senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and a former Union Minister passed away at around 5 pm on Wednesday at the age of 94. He breathed his last at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital.
Born on December 15, 1931, Purkayastha had served as Minister of State for Communications in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government from 1998 to 1999. Over the decades, he has been widely respected for his contributions to both state and national politics.
His son Kanad Purkayastha is a Rajya Sabha member from Assam.
All BJP programmes in the State have been cancelled as a mark of respect for the departed leader.
Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia has instructed that the party flags will be flown at half-mast at all party offices tomorrow.
Several BJP leaders and ministers, including Assam BJP and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, have condoled his demise.
“Deeply pained by the passing away of veteran leader, former Union Minister and an inspiration for us all, Kabindra Purkayastha,” the CM said.
“A prolific intellectual, a committed karyakarta – he was an institution in himself, someone who laid the foundation of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the region and helped it grow as Assam’s preferred political party,” he said.
Recalling his contributions, Sarma said, “From the lanes of Silchar to the corridors of Parliament, from his days as Pracharak to a Union Minister, he consistently kept people and their issues at the forefront as he championed the cause of Assam and North East in various forums.”
For us karyakartas, he was not only a people’s representative but also a mentor, an elder, a reassuring presence who showed that politics is about values, simplicity, service and above all taking care of each other as family members, said Sarma, adding that his legacy though cannot be measured merely by the offices or positions he held, but by how he always espoused Sewa Bhav through his actions.
From helping displaced Hindu refugees to assisting Assam’s growth aspirations, Purkayastha’s life was dedicated to the people and their welfare.
