CPI(M) leaders meet 103-year-old veteran leader in Mirik

MIRIK, : Former Rajya Sabha MP and veteran CPI(M) leader Saman Pathak, along with Kurseong Area Committee secretary Chetan Gurung and CPI(M) district committee member Sachin Khati, on Tuesday visited 103-year-old veteran communist leader Antalal Sharma at his residence in Millikthong Tea Garden under Mirik Block.

Sharma, one of the oldest surviving communist leaders of the Darjeeling hills, is currently in critical condition due to age-related ailments. Despite his frail health, the veteran leader interacted with the visiting comrades and spoke about the present condition of the communist movement in the hills.

During the interaction, Sharma urged young comrades to remain politically active and work to uphold the dignity, principles and legacy of the CPI(M), expressing concern over the party's declining influence and the challenges facing the Left movement.

A close associate of former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and veteran CPI(M) leader and former MP Ananda Pathak, Sharma was among the early political workers who strengthened the Left movement in the Darjeeling hills. He remained committed to the rights and aspirations of the Gorkha community throughout his political life.

Sharma also played an important role in the movement for constitutional recognition of the Nepali language. He worked alongside leaders including former Parliamentarian Ratanlal Brahmin during the campaign that ultimately led to Nepali being included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Speaking during the visit, Saman Pathak recalled Sharma's long association with the communist movement and his contribution to the people of the Darjeeling hills.

“Antalal Sharma is one of the oldest living cadres of our party. He worked very actively alongside my father, Ananda Pathak. His contribution to the communist movement and the Gorkha community will always remain an important part of Darjeeling's political history,” Pathak said.

Sharma's family said his health has deteriorated considerably in recent months. His grandson, Ritesh Sharma, said the 103-year-old veteran has stopped taking solid food and is surviving mainly on a liquid diet. He also requires support to stand and move because of his fragile condition.

Despite his deteriorating health, people from different places continue to visit Sharma at his residence to seek his blessings and recall his contribution to the political and social movements of the hills.

The family, however, has expressed disappointment that senior leaders from the Left or other political parties have largely not visited the veteran leader during his critical condition.

For generations of political workers in the Darjeeling hills, Antalal Sharma remains a symbol of political commitment, sacrifice and dedication to social justice. At the age of 103, his message to the younger generation of comrades reflects his lifelong commitment to the principles of the communist movement and the dignity of the party.

This was a learning visit and we gained a lot for the senior most comrade who worked with veteran Marxist leaders of Bengal, Pathak said.