Leaders of several Left parties came together in Kolkata on Saturday to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of veteran All Indian Forward Bloc (AIFB) leader Ashok Ghosh. Senior leaders of AIFB, including general secretary G. Devarajan, Debabrata Biswas and party’s State secretary Naren Chatterjee, were joined by senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders Biman Bose and Surjya Kanta Mishra at the event organised at Mahajati Sadan.

Ashok Ghosh was one of the tallest leaders of AIFB, a party set up by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Born on July 21, 1921, at Chinsurah in the Hooghly district of south Bengal, he was one of the founding members of the Left Front in West Bengal, which ruled the State for 34 years from 1977 to 2011. Ghosh passed away on March 3, 2016.

A freedom fighter, Ghosh had been the State secretary of the AIFB, the second biggest constituent of the Left Front, since 1951 — for 65 years. He joined the AIFB in 1940, a year after its formation, influenced by the political philosophy of Subhas Chandra Bose. In more than seven decades of public life, Ghosh did not leave the AIFB. Tracing the history of AIFB, Mr. Biswas said that the party suffered several attacks since its formation and Ashok Ghosh had been the guiding light.

Mr. Biman Bose, chairperson of the Left Front, said Ashok Ghosh fought for independence and later, for the success of the Left movement in the country. He called for the strengthening of the Left movement in the country on the ideals of Ashok Ghosh.

Mr. Chatterjee said that the need was to fight the loot and corruption at the State and at the Centre on the ideals of Ashok Ghosh.

Amitava Chatterjee of Socialist Unity of Centre of India (Communist) and Samir Putatunda of Party of Democratic Socialism leaders from Left parties not part of the Left Front also participated in the event to pay homage to the legendary AIFB leader.