By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: Hashim Abdul Halim (80), who served as the Speaker of the West Bengal Assembly from 1982 to 2011, passed away in Kolkata today after a long fight against respiratory problems.
Halim was admitted today at a nursing home in the morning after he complained of increasing pain, where he suffered a heart attack which led to his demise.
Hashim Abdul Halim, who was born June 5, 1935, was a six-time member of the Legislative Assembly. He started his career as a lawyer before joining politics in 1977, when he was first contested in the West Bengal Assembly Election from Amdanga, North 24 Parganas as a CPI (M) candidate and won with a huge margin. He went on to serve as the Judicial Affairs Minister for the Left Front-led government until 1982, when he became the Speaker in West Bengal Assembly, a position he served till 2011. During his career, he won five times from Amdanga of North 24 Parganas and once from Entally area of Kolkata.
Halim, who is survived by his wife, a daughter and two sons, served as the chairman of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and President, World Federation of United Nations Associations. He also received an honorary Doctorate Degree from Soka University of Japan.
His death was mourned by all the major political leaders of the state, including West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, WB State Education Minister Partho Chatterjee, Congress leader Manas Bhuiya, State Opposition Leader Suryakanta Mishra, Mohammed Salim and the current speaker of WB Assembly, Biman Banerjee.
The funeral will be held tomorrow afternoon at Gobra Graveyard in Park Circus.