Call it a historic coincidence.

Jyoti Basu [ Images ], one of India's [ Images ] tallest Marxist leaders, turned 95 on a day the CPM decided to pull out from the United Progressive Alliance [ Images ] government.

Even as the Left stepped out of a seemingly unworkable alliance, an emotional Basu told a large crowd assembled at his residence, "I have no idea how long I will live now but it is my wish to see the Left Front gets a chance to finish another term."

Many brought gifts for the former chief minister. A website on Basu was inaugurated by transport minister Subhas Chakraborty [ Images ] who was present on the occasion. Basu later unveiled a website for Pather Panchali, a social body which organises his birthday every year.

On behalf of Pather Panchali, Romola Chakraborty, wife of the transport minister, gifted a cheque of Rs 10 lakh to Basu which he handed over to CPI-M [ Images ] state secretary Biman Bose as a donation to the party fund.

Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi and his wife visited Basu. A Chinese cultural troupe performed a dragon dance in his honour.

There were also cultural programmes by schoolchildren. Rabindrasangeet exponent Suchitra Mitra, veteran footballer Sailen Manna, fisheries minister Kironmoy Nanda and Kolkata [ Images ] mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya were present on the occasion.