A stalwart of journalism who also left a mark on the world of politics
NEW DELHI: Former editor, commentator, parliamentarian, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-turned-Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, Chandan Mitra, passed away late on Wednesday after prolonged illness. He was 65.
Mitra, who was editor-inchief and former managing director of The Pioneer, had also been executive editor of Hindustan Times. He was a two-term Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP), first as a nominated member (2003-2009) and then as a BJP member from Madhya Pradesh (2010-2016).
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow, with the President tweeting, “Chandan Mitra was an outstanding journalist and his stint as a parliamentarian added to his reputation. His understanding of Hindi heartland and its history was profound. His demise leaves a void in Indian journalism.”
PM Modi said that Mitra would be remembered for “his intellect and insights”, and tweeted, “He distinguished himself in the world of media as well as politics. Anguished by his demise.”
Among other political tributes, two personal tributes, reflecting Mitra’s educational background, came from leaders at opposing ends of the political spectrum. Rajya Sabha MP and BJP leader, Swapan Dasgupta, said he had lost his closest friend. Posting a photo from a school trip in 1972, he tweeted, “We were together as students of La Martiniere & went on to St Stephen’s & Oxford. We joined journalism at the same time & shared the excitement of Ayodhya & the saffron wave.”
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor recalled their days together in Delhi’s St Stephen’s College, where Mitra was Tharoor’s campaign manager in the election for college president.
After a brief teaching stint in Delhi University, Mitra did his doctorate on political mobilisation and the nationalism movement in India, with a focus on eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, from Oxford in 1984. He returned to India to begin a life in journalism with The Statesman, before moving to The Times of India, and then The Sunday Observer. He then joined Hindustan Times where he served in senior editorial leadership roles, including as executive editor. Mitra left HT to join The Pioneer as editor, and eventually bought control of the newspaper in 1998.
Mitra acquired a political profile with his proximity to the BJP and its leadership. At a time when the party had a limited number of articulate English-speaking spokespersons, Mitra filled a void in communicating the BJP’s message to an urban audience as news television picked up. He maintained links across party lines.
But Mitra’s foray into electoral politics — he failed to win the 2014 Lok Sabha election as a BJP candidate from Hooghly in his home state, West Bengal — was unsuccessful. And he did not get significant organisational or political responsibilities.
A BJP leader, who did not wish to be named, said, “His contribution to the party is important, but he failed to make the transition from the old BJP of (LK) Advani to the new BJP of Modi and Amit Shah.” Eventually, amid reports that he was unhappy at not being given a third Rajya Sabha term, Mitra moved to the TMC in 2018. But by then, he had begun battling ill health and retreated partly from public life.
Mitra is survived by his wife and two sons.