Gurudas Dasgupta (3 November 1936 – 31 October 2019) was an Indian politician and a leader of the Communist Party of India. In the 1950s and 60s, he held several offices as a student leader. Later he was a member of Rajya Sabha for three terms from 1985 to 2000 and of Lok Sabha for two terms from 2004 to 2014.

Gurudas Dasgupta
Leader of Communist Party of India Parliamentary Party, Lok Sabha
In office
2005–2014
Preceded byP. K. Vasudevan Nair
Succeeded byC. N. Jayadevan
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
13 May 2004 – 16 May 2009
Preceded byBikram Sarkar
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
ConstituencyPanskura
In office
16 May 2009 – 16 May 2014
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byDeepak Adhikari (Dev)
ConstituencyGhatal
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
1985–2000
Personal details
Born(1936-11-03)3 November 1936
Barisal, Bengal Province, British India (present-day Barisal, Bangladesh)
Died31 October 2019(2019-10-31) (aged 82)
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Political partyCommunist Party of India
Spouse
Jayasri Dasgupta
(m. 1965)
Residence(s)Bhawanipur, West Bengal, India
Alma materUniversity of Calcutta
Asutosh College (M.Com)

Biography

edit

Gurudas Dasgupta was born to Nihar Devi and Durga Prosanna Dasgupta on 3 November 1936 in Barisal, British India (now in Bangladesh). On 18 June 1965, he married Jayashri Das Gupta.[1]

He entered politics as a student leader.[2] He served as the General Secretary of Asutosh College Students' Union in 1957 as well as the President and General Secretary of the Undivided Bengal Provincial Students' Federation from 1958 to 1960. In 1965, he was detained under the Defence of India rules. He went into hiding several times during the 1950s–60s.[1]

Dasgupta was the General Secretary of the West Bengal Committee of All India Youth Federation from 1967 to 1977. He was also General Secretary of the West Bengal Youth Festival Preparatory Committee in 1968, 1970 and 1973. He led the Indian delegation at the World Youth Congress held in Budapest in 1970.[1]

He remained in Communist Party of India (CPI) following its split in 1964. In 1970s, he worked in the labour wing of the CPI.[3][2] He served as the Vice President of All India Trade Union Congress and Bharatiya Khet Mazdoor Union.[1]

He worked as a parliamentarian for 25 years. He was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1985, 1988 and 1994.[3][2] Dasgupta was elected as the General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) in 2001. He was elected as a member of National Secretariat of CPI in 2004.[1] In 2004, he was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from Panskura in West Bengal. In 2009, he was elected to the 15th Lok Sabha from Ghatal in West Bengal.[4][2] He was a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Harshad Mehta scam and on the 2G spectrum case.[3][5]

Dasgupta died on 31 October 2019 due to complications of lung cancer.[6][2]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e "Detailed Profile: Shri Gurudas Dasgupta". india.gov.in. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e "CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta passes away". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta passes away at 83". The Financial Express. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  4. ^ "नहीं रहे गुरुदास दासगुप्ता: हर्षद मेहता के शेयर घोटाले की संसद में खोली थी पोल". Jansatta (in Hindi). 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Gurudas Dasgupta rubbishes JPC report on 2G scam". The Hindu. 21 April 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Veteran Communist Party Leader Gurudas Dasgupta Dies At 83". NDTV. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
Lok Sabha
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Panskura

2004 – 2009
Succeeded by
Constituency ceased to exist
Preceded by
Constituency created
Member of Parliament
for Ghatal

2009 – 2014
Succeeded by
Trade union offices
Preceded by General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress
2001–2017
Succeeded by