Guwahati, Jan. 7 -- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday expressed grief over the demise of former Member of Parliament and Union Minister Kabindra Purkayastha.

In a message of condolence, the Chief Minister called Purkayastha a "prolific intellectual, a committed karyakarta".

"He was an institution in himself, someone who laid the foundation of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the region and helped it grow as Assam's preferred political party," CM Sarma wrote on X.

He also recalled Kabindra Purkayastha's political journey.

"From the lanes of Silchar to the corridors of Parliament, from his days as Pracharak to a Union Minister, he consistently kept people and their issues at the forefront as he championed the cause of A...