Veteran CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta passes away at 83
Kolkata, Oct. 31: Veteran CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta, one of the doyens of the country’s trade union movement and a former MP, died here on Thursday following prolonged illness. He was 83.
Dasgupta is survived by his wife and daughter.
Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of the CPI veteran, saying he was a strong voice in Parliament.
A five-term parliamentarian since 1985, Dasgupta was three times elected to the Rajya Sabha and twice voted to the Lok Sabha from West Bengal.
He was born on November 3, 1936, in Barishal district (now in Bangladesh) of undivided Bengal. After partition, he along with his parents and siblings moved to West Bengal.
A fiery orator who never shied away from raising issues concerning the masses and the working class both inside and outside parliament, Dasgupta was baptised into politics as a student leader during the tumultuous ’50s and ’60s.
He served as the president and general secretary
◗ The widely travelled communist, with his trademark full-sleeve red sweater during winter, stood out as a parliamentarian for his oratory skills
of the undivided Bengal Provincial Students’ Federation in late ’50s and went underground several times.
After the CPI split in 1964, which led to the formation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Dasgupta decided to stay with the parent party.
Later, he was shifted to the labour wing of the party in the early ’70s to work among the labour force employed in the organised and unorganised sectors.
Dasgupta, who took over as the general secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) — the trade union wing of the CPI — in 2001, is credited with transforming the lesser-known trade union into a major trade union front of the country.
The widely travelled communist, with his trademark full-sleeve red sweater during winter, stood out as a parliamentarian for his oratory skills.
His speeches earned praise from politicians, cutting across party lines.
Though a diehard communist, Dasgupta was not dogmatic and shared good terms with leaders across the political spectrum.
Despite being political and ideological adversaries, he shared a rapport with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a section of Congress leaders and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
In 2004, Dasgupta along with late CPI leader A.B. Bardhan, played a key role in the formation of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA-1) government which was supported by the Left parties, including the CPI.