View source for D. Raja

{{Short description|General secretary of the Communist party of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Doraisamy<!--If you change this name without sourcing, expect to be BLOCKED--> Raja

| office = General Secretary of the<br />[[Communist Party of India]]
| predecessor = [[Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy]]
| successor = 
| term_start = {{Start date|2019|07|21|df=yes}}
| term_end =

| office2 = [[Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha]]
| term_start2 = {{Start date|2007|07|25|df=yes}}
| term_end2 = {{End date|2019|07|24|df=yes}}
| constituency2 = [[Tamil Nadu]]

| image = D.Raja M.P.JPG
| imagesize = 
| caption = 
| party = [[Communist Party of India]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1949|06|03|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Chithathoor, [[Vellore District]], [[Madras State]], [[Dominion of India]]<br />(present day [[Tamil Nadu]], India)
| nationality = [[Indian people|Indian]]
| spouse = [[Annie Raja]]
| children = [[Aparajitha Raja]] (daughter)
| parents = {{Unbulleted_list|P. Doraisamy<!--If you change this name without sourcing, expect to be BLOCKED-->|Nayagam}}
| occupation = 
| website = 
| alma_mater = {{Unbulleted_list|[[Government Thirumagal Mill's College|Government Thirumagal Mill's College, Gudiyattam]]|Government Teachers College}}
| education = {{Unbulleted_list|[[Bachelor of Science]]|[[Bachelor of Education]]}}
}}

'''Doraisamy<!--If you change this name without sourcing, expect to be BLOCKED--> Raja''' (born June 3, 1949) is an [[Indian politician]] and the General Secretary of the [[Communist Party of India]] (CPI) from July 2019. He was
former member of [[Rajya Sabha]] from [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref name="profile">{{cite web|url=https://archive.india.gov.in/govt/rajyasabhampbiodata.php?mpcode=2047|title=Detailed Profile: Shri D. Raja|website=[[National Portal of India]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prsindia.org/mptrack/draja|title=D. Raja|website=prsindia.org}}</ref> 
He was the national secretary of the [[Communist Party of India]] (CPI) from 1994 to 2019.<ref name="profile"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/24/stories/2007052405620400.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070525095902/http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/24/stories/2007052405620400.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-05-25 |title=Tamil Nadu News : Doraisamy Raja, CPI candidate for RS polls |date=2007-05-24 |work=[[The Hindu]] |accessdate=2012-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=CPI re-nominates D. Raja for Rajya Sabha |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/cpi-renominates-d-raja-for-rajya-sabha/article4819729.ece |work=The Hindu |date=16 June 2013 |language=en-IN}}</ref>

==Early life and education==

Raja was born in Chithathoor, in the [[Vellore]] district of Tamil Nadu, to a Dalit family.<ref name="profile" /><ref>{{cite web |title=D. Raja: Age, Biography, Education |url=https://www.oneindia.com/politicians/d-raja-71656.html |website=One India |language=en}}</ref> His father, P. Doraisamy<!--If you change this name without sourcing, expect to be BLOCKED-->, and mother, Nayagam, were landless agricultural workers.<ref name="profile"/>

He completed a [[Bachelor of Science|B.Sc.]] from G.T.M. College in Gudiyattam, and a [[Bachelor of Education|B.Ed.]] from Government Teachers College in Vellore. He was the first graduate in his village. While in college, he became active in student politics.<ref name="profile"/><ref>{{cite news |title='I never fasted but I starved,' CPI leader D Raja on growing up in poverty |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/i-never-fasted-but-i-starved-cpi-leader-d-raja-on-growing-up-in-poverty/story-Cmsx3ezHM9WZUtYI1DLlmI.html |work=Hindustan Times |date=16 December 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

==Political career==

During college, he joined the [[All India Students Federation]] and became active in student politics. He later became the leader of the [[All India Youth Federation]] and was the State Secretary of the Tamil Nadu unit from 1975 to 1980, and was then elected general secretary from 1985 to 1990. He became the national secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) in 1994 and served until 2019. On 21 July 2019, the National Council of the CPI elected him as the general secretary of the party.<ref>{{cite news |title=D. Raja takes over as CPI general secretary |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/d-raja-takes-over-as-cpi-general-secretary/article28626860.ece |work=The Hindu |date=21 July 2019 |language=en-IN}}</ref>

Raja was first elected to Rajya Sabha in July 2007 from Tamil Nadu and was re-elected in 2013.<ref name="profile"/>

==Personal life==

Raja met his wife, [[Annie Raja]], while they were both in the [[All India Youth Federation]], and they married on 7 January 1990 in a simple wedding. She is now the general secretary of the [[National Federation of Indian Women]], the women wing of the CPI, and they have a daughter together named [[Aparajitha Raja]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Paul |first1=Cithara |title=King and queen of hearts |url=https://www.theweek.in/theweek/specials/2018/12/21/king-and-queen-of-hearts.html |work=The Week |date=22 December 2018 |language=en}}</ref> Aparajitha Raja was herself an activist during her student days.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Saini|first=Shivam|date=2016-02-27|title=Aparajitha Raja is in the eye of a 'patriotic' storm|work=Business Standard India|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/aparajitha-raja-is-in-the-eye-of-a-patriotic-storm-116022600639_1.html|access-date=2021-06-18}}</ref>

During April 2021, Raja was diagnosed with COVID-19 while campaigning for election and had to be admitted to AIIMS.<ref>{{Cite news|others=Special Correspondent|date=2021-04-12|title=D. Raja admitted to AIIMS|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/d-raja-admitted-to-aiims/article34298015.ece|access-date=2021-04-11|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
*''Dalit Question: The Way Forward'' (New Delhi, CPI Publication, 2007)
*''Marx and Ambedkar: Continuing the Dialogue'' by D. Raja, N. Muthumohan (New Century Book House, 2018)
*''D. Raja in the Parliament'' by Rajeev Suman (The Marginalised Publication, 2021)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/d-raja-recalls-humble-beginnings-at-book-release/article36404104.ece|title = CPI's D. Raja recalls humble beginnings at book release|newspaper = The Hindu|date = 11 September 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Communist Party of India}}

==External links==
*[https://twitter.com/ComradeDRaja?s=20 Official Twitter Handle]
*[https://www.facebook.com/ComradeDRaja/ Official Facebook Page]
*[https://instagram.com/comradedraja?igshid=zfnkq0jj7gmz Official Instagram Account]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raja, D.}}
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India politicians from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:People from Vellore district]]
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Leaders of political parties in India]]


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