Veteran Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi passed away at 72
Veteran Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi passed away today in New Delhi after being in coma since 2008. The 72-year-old was one of the most popular leaders in Bengal and represented the Raiganj constituency. He was a parliamentarian who enjoyed cross-party goodwill. Mr Dasmunsi was union Parliamentary Affairs Minister when he suffered a massive stroke in 2008 that left him paralysed and unable to speak. Blood supply to a part of his brain was cut off, which caused irreversible damage. While his body systems were functional, he used to breathe through a tracheostomy tube attached to his neck and was fed through a tube in his stomach. He was not conscious of his surroundings, a report said.
Mr Dasmunsi was temporarily moved to Dusseldorf in Germany in 2009 where he underwent a stem cell therapy in an attempt to reverse some of the loss of brain functions caused by the stroke. After his return, he was admitted to the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi. In 2011, the hospital advised his family to take him home and care for him there.
After Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi suffered a stroke in 2008, his wife Deepa Dasmunsi became active in party politics and also contested and won parliamentary polls. She was was also a union minister in the Congress-led UPA government.
Mr Dasmunsi was also a cabinet minister in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting from 2004 to 2008. He had also served as the President of the All India Football Federation for almost 20 years.
After his demise, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "We will miss Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi ji. A brilliant political mind and a good human being. Bengal and the Congress party have lost a tall leader. Our thoughts are with Deepa ji today."