Indrajit Gupta is dead

A prominent political leader belonging to the Communist Party of India, Indrajit Gupta, died yesterday morning at his residence in the eastern port city of Kolkatta aged 81. The Press Trust of India quoted family members as saying that Gupta had been battling cancer for a number of years. Gupta served as India's home minister when his Communist Party of India became the first leftist party to share power with a federal coalition government after India's independence from British rule in 1947.

Gupta was elected to India's lower house of parliament from the prestigious South Calcutta constituency for the first time in 1960. He kept his seat in parliament by winning elections 11 times from different constituencies. He was a sitting MP in the current parliament from Midnapore in West Bengal state. A fiery trade unionist, Gupta has been the general secretary of the CPI for a number of years. The West Bengal state secretariat was to arrange Gupta's funeral yesterday.

Born in Calcutta (Kolkatta) to Satish Chandra Gupta, the then secretary of council of states, and Priyabala, Gupta was educated in Calcutta and London. A barrister, Gupta joined the Communist movement in the 40s. In his long innings in parliament since 1960, Gupta lost an election only once, that in 1977 to Ashok Kishna Dutta of Bharatiya Lok Dal.

He was re-elected twice each from Calcutta South-West, Alipore and Basir Haat. Later, he shifted to Midnapore from where he was elected five times. He was leader of the Communist group in parliament. Gupta who headed the trade union wing of the Communist Party of India, the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), led the biggest strike in Calcutta port and jute industry during his political career.

He was home minister in the governments of H.D. Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral at the centre.Gupta was capable of speaking several languages. He had two books to his credit – Capital and Labour in the Jute Industry and Self-reliance in national defence. Gupta travelled to several countries in his capacity as a parliamentarian. He attended the Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference in London in 1975 and the IPU meet in Madrid. He was also a member of the prime minister's delegation to Namibia in 1990.


Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee told a condolence meeting convened for Gupta in New Delhi that the leftist leader's demise "had created a void" in parliament. "Gupta was a distinguished parliamentarian who made an invaluable contribution to the institution," said Vajpayee.In a condolence message, President K.R. Narayanan described Gupta as a "brilliant parliamentarian and true leader of the people" and said he remained at the vanguard of the Communist movement and fought for the rights and freedom of the people, especially the underprivileged, till the very end of his life.

Calling him a versatile parliamentarian, a powerful communicator, an adept administrator and a distinguished mass leader, Vice-President Krishna Kant said, "Mr Indrajit Gupta was a steadfast champion of the weaker sections' cause."