Here are five facts about the veteran Parliamentarian:
Mr Salim, 58, is a member of the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) and elected from the Raiganj Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal.
He is one of the prominent Muslim faces of the CPI-M and was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1990. He is also a member of the CPI-M polit buro.
Mr Salim is one of the most assertive Parliamentarians from the Left and frequently takes part in debates. During the string of attacks on churches earlier this year, he had strongly criticised the governments at the Centre and West Bengal.
He was a minister in the West Bengal Government between 2001 and 2004, holding charges for Technical Education and Training, Youth Welfare and Minority Development and Welfare ministries.
An avid football fan, Mr Salim is also a widely travelled politician, having visited more than 20 countries.
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