The mood outside senior Congress leader Gurudas Kamat’s house at Chembur in suburban Mumbai was sombre through Wednesday as supporters gathered from the morning. Many were shocked, having spoken to him only a few days ago. “He was just 63 and he was so active. It is very sudden and shocking,” said a party worker from Chembur. On the ground floor of Gaurinandan building, Kamat’s garlanded photograph was placed for people to pay their respects. There was a continuous flow of party workers throughout the day. Atique Akmal, a former Congress corporator from Gautam Nagar in Govandi, said: “He was a born leader and one of the three such leaders, including Murli Deora and Sunil Dutt, that the Mumbai Congress had. Kamat ji made his supporters MLAs and MPs. Today, the Mumbai Congress has lost a father figure.” He added that Kamat contributed tremendously towards building the party’s support base in Mumbai. Pramod Jagtap, a retired employee of the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers, said Kamat was known for remembering all his supporters by name. “I campaigned for another MP in 2004, soon after my retirement, for an entire month. I gave them my vehicle too. When I went to him one month later for some work, the MP did not recognise me. But this was not the case with Kamat. He would always address his supporters by their names and inquire about us,” said Jagtap. A Sakinaka resident and a driver with Kamat for the past 10 years, Mohamed Salim Shaikh said he could not come to terms with the news. “I feel like Saheb is coming from Delhi. He has got some post in the party and people have gathered to congratulate him on his arrival,” said Shaikh. Several Congress leaders visited the Kamat residence, including legislator Bhai Jagtap, former minister Naseem Khan and former Mumbai Congress president Janardan Chandurkar. Sanjay Nirupam, president of the Mumbai unit of the Congress, said his death meant a great loss for the party. “His death is an irreparable loss for the party. He knew the city’s issues well and fought for those. We have lost a leader who had close contact with the grassroot activists,” said Nirupam.
