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{{short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2021}}

'''Birendra Chandra Dutta''' (1910 – 18 December 1992) was an Indian communist politician. He founded the communist movement in [[Tripura]].<ref name="ChananaCooperation2005">{{cite book|author1=Charanjit Chanana|author2=Indian Council for South Asian Cooperation|title=South Asian Survey|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LwtuAAAAMAAJ|year=2005|publisher=Sage|page=291}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Seminar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WNsUAQAAIAAJ|year=2002|publisher=R. Thapar|page=69}}</ref> Dutta was a member of the [[1st Lok Sabha]] (lower house of the [[parliament of India]], 1952–1957), the [[3rd Lok Sabha]] (1962–1967) and the [[5th Lok Sabha]] (1971–1977).<ref name=ls/>

Dutta was born in [[Agartala]] in 1910, son of Jogneswar Dutta. He studied at [[Calcutta University]]. He was linked to the [[Anushilan Samiti]] revolutionary movement.<ref name=ls/> He was arrested in 1933.<ref name="Bhaumik1996"/> Just before his arrest he had come into contact with the communist movement.<ref name="Bhaumik1996"/> Dutta was released from jail in May 1938, after which he travelled back to Tripura to build a branch of the Communist Party there.<ref name="Bhaumik1996"/> His work was conducted under supervision of the [[Comilla]] Divisional Committee of the Communist Party.<ref name="Bhaumik1996"/> Dutta and his associated founded the Janamangal Samiti ('People's Welfare Association') in 1938.<ref name="Bhaumik1996"/> Dutta served as assistant secretary of Janamangal Samiti and was the editor/publisher of its publication ''Projar Katha''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Economic and Political Weekly|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tuCwAAAAIAAJ|year=1990|publisher=Sameeksha Trust|page=2211}}</ref>

When the [[Tripura Janasiksha Samiti|Janshiksha Samiti]] ('People's Educational Association') was founded in 1945, Dutta played a key role as an organizer, albeit not officially being part of the leadership of the movement.<ref name="Bhaumik1996"/> Dutta obtained full membership in the [[Communist Party of India]] just before the [[2nd Congress of the Communist Party of India|2nd party congress]] held in Calcutta. Dutta attended the congress.<ref name="Bhaumik1996">{{cite book|author=Subir Bhaumik|title=Insurgent Crossfire: North-East India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iftjFki3fhYC&pg=PA94|year=1996|publisher=Lancer Publishers|isbn=978-1-897829-12-7|pages=90–92, 94, 120}}</ref> After party congress, Dutta sought to build a movement amongst the tribal people of Tripura. But soon the Tripura Government began a crack-down against the nascent communist movement. Dutta left for the hills, where he began to build a revolutionary movement, the [[Ganamukti Parishad|Mukti Parishad]] ('Liberation Council'). Whilst Dutta was a key organizer of the movement, he did not join the executive of the organization as it was an organization of tribal people.<ref name="Bhaumik1996"/> Dutta and others in the leadership were arrested.<ref name=c>Communist Party of India (Marxist) Tripura State Committee. ''[http://cpimtripura.org/piomardet.aspx?pmd=25 Com. Biren Dutta]''</ref>

At the end of the armed struggle of Mukti Parishad, the ban on the Communist Party was lifted.<ref name="Bhaumik1996"/> Dutta was released from Tezpur Jail in 1950.<ref name="Majumder1997">{{cite book|author=Benimadhab Majumder|title=The Legislative Opposition in Tripura|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FsONAAAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Tripura State Tribal Cultural Research Institute & Museum, Government of Tripura|pages=19, 45}}</ref> CPI fielded him as its candidate in the [[1952 Indian general election]]for the [[Tripura West (Lok Sabha constituency)|Tripura West constituency]].<ref name="Bhaumik1996"/><ref name=e1952/> CPI contested the elections in Tripura on a 4-point program: abolition of the Chief Commissioner's administration, rehabilitation schemes for both Bengali refugees and tribals, land reform and an end to repressive laws.<ref name="Bhaumik1996"/> He won the seat, obtaining 53,592 votes (68.84%).<ref name=e1952>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1951/VOL_1_51_LS.PDF STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1951 TO THE FIRST LOK SABHA – VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)]''</ref>

By the [[1957 Indian general election]] Tripura West and Tripura East had been merged to a two-seat constituency. Dutta lost his parliamentary seat, obtaining 119,798 votes.<ref name=e1957>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1957/Vol_I_57_LS.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1957 TO THE SECOND LOK SABHA – VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)]''</ref>

Dutta returned to the Lok Sabha in the [[1962 Indian general election]], winning the Tripura West seat with 86,084 votes (52.12%).<ref name=e1962>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1962/Vol_I_LS_62.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1962 TO THE THIRD LOK SABHA]''</ref>

Dutta lost the Tripura West seat in the [[1967 Indian general election]], now standing as a candidate of the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]. He finished in second place with 92,143 votes (42.25%).<ref name=e1967>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1967/Vol_I_LS_67.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1967 TO THE FOURTH LOK SABHA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718185108/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1967/Vol_I_LS_67.pdf |date=18 July 2014 }}''</ref> The result was challenged, with accusations of rigging, but the [[Supreme Court of India]] awarded the victory to the [[Indian National Congress]] candidate.<ref name="Majumder1997"/>

He returned to parliament in the [[1971 Indian general election]], obtaining 88,264 votes (45.18%).<ref name=e1971>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1971/Vol_I_LS71.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1971 TO THE FIFTH LOK SABHA]''</ref>

Dutta contested the Ramnagar seat in the [[1977 Tripura Legislative Assembly election]]. He won the seat with 8,420 votes (63.41%).<ref name=s1977>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1977/StatisticalReport%201977%20Tripura.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1977 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF TRIPURA]''</ref> After the election Dutta urged the party leadership to install tribal leader [[Dasarath Deb]] as Chief Minister. Instead the party selected Bengali [[Nripen Chakraborty]], a move Dutta called 'a big mistake'. Dutta later argued that had the party selected a tribal Chief Minister at this juncture, the violent upheaval that Tripura experienced could have been avoided.<ref name="ChananaCooperation2005"/><ref name="Samaddar2016">{{cite book|author=Ranabir Samaddar|title=Government of Peace: Social Governance, Security and the Problematic of Peace|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ew2rCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA82|date=3 March 2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-12538-9|page=82}}</ref>

Dutta was a minister in the Tripura state government between 1978 and 1985.<ref name=c/> He retained the Ramnagar seat in the [[1983 Tripura Legislative Assembly election]], obtaining 8,026 votes (50.80%).<ref name=s1983>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1983/StatisticalReport%20Tripura%201983.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1983 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF TRIPURA]''</ref>

Dutta served as the state secretary of the [[Centre of Indian Trade Unions]] between 1970 and 1990.<ref name=c/>

Dutta married Saraju Dutta in 1945, and the couple had five children (three sons and two daughters). He served as commissioner of Agartala Municipality.<ref name=ls/> Over the years he worked as editor of many newspapers, such as ''Tripura Rajaer Katha'', ''Tripurar Katha'', ''Desher Dak'' and ''Desher Katha''.<ref name=ls>Lok Sabha. ''[http://164.100.47.194/loksabha/writereaddata/biodata_1_12/703.htm Members Bioprofile: DUTTA, SHRI BIREN]''</ref><ref name=c/>

In 1991 Dutta's health deteriorated and he was relieved of party duties. He died on 18 December 1992.<ref name=c/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:1992 deaths]]
[[Category:1st Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:3rd Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:5th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Tripura]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Tripura]]
[[Category:People from Agartala]]
[[Category:Trade unionists from Tripura]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of British India]]

Biren Dutta - Revision history

->Ebbedlila at 19:57, 2 October 2021