117.209.89.0 at 02:44, 4 April 2024

2024-04-04T02:44:49Z

New page

{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix =
| name = Indrajit Gupta
| image =
| caption =
| imagesize = 150px
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1919|03|18|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2001|02|20|1919|03|18}}
| death_place = [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]]
| office = [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Minister of Home Affairs]]
| primeminister = [[H. D. Deve Gowda]]<br />[[I. K. Gujral]]
| term_start = 29 June 1996
| term_end = 19 March 1998
| predecessor = [[H. D. Deve Gowda]]
| successor = [[L. K. Advani]]
| office1 = President of [[World Federation of Trade Unions]]<ref name = bio>{{cite web |url=http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/Members/former_Biography.aspx?mpsno=148 |title=Members bio profile of Lok Sabha website |publisher= [[National Informatics Centre]], New Delhi & [[Lok Sabha]]|access-date=11 April 2013}}</ref>
| term_start1 = 1989
| term_end1 = 1999
| predecessor1 = [[Sándor Gáspár (politician)|Sándor Gáspár]]
| successor1 = [[Ibrahim Zakaria (trade unionist)|Ibrahim Zakaria]]
| office2 = [[General Secretary]] of [[Communist Party of India]]
| term_start2 = 1990
| term_end2 = 1996
| predecessor2 = [[Chandra Rajeswara Rao]]
| successor2 = [[Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan]]
| office3 = [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha]]
| term_start3 = 20 October 1989
| term_end3 = 20 February 2001
| constituency3 = [[Midnapore (Lok Sabha constituency)|Midnapore]], [[West Bengal]]
| predecessor3 = [[Narayan Choubey]]
| successor3 = [[Prabodh Panda]]
| term_start4 = 1980
| term_end4 = 1989
| constituency4 = [[Basirhat (Lok Sabha constituency)|Basirhat]], [[West Bengal]]
| predecessor4 = Alhaj M.A.Hannan
| successor4 = [[Manoranjan Sur]]
| term_start5 = 1967
| term_end5 = 1977
| constituency5 = [[Jadavpur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Alipore]], [[West Bengal]]
| predecessor5 = New Seat
| successor5 = [[Somnath Chatterjee]]
| term_start6 = 1960
| term_end6 = 1967
| constituency6 = [[Kolkata Dakshin (Lok Sabha constituency)|Calcutta South West]]
| predecessor6 = [[Biren Roy]]
| successor6 = [[Ganesh Ghosh]]
| party = [[Communist Party of India]]
| spouse = Suraiya
| nationality = [[India]]n
}}
'''Indrajit Gupta''' ({{lang-bn|'''ইন্দ্রজিৎ গুপ্ত'''}}) (18 March 1919 – 20 February 2001) was an Indian politician who belonged to the [[Communist Party of India]] (CPI). From 1996 to 1998, he served as [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Union Home Minister]] in the [[United Front (India)|United Front]] governments of prime ministers [[H. D. Deve Gowda]] and [[I. K. Gujral]]. That was a dramatic reversal of roles, as the home ministry had, since independence in 1947, banned the CPI thrice, with many of its members, including Gupta, being sent to prison or pushed underground for long stretches.<ref name = "I&B">{{cite web
| url =http://rrtd.nic.in/indrajeet%20gupta.html| title = Biography – Indrajit Gupta| access-date = 15 March 2007| work = Vol. No. XLIV 07March 2001 B. No.35 (16Phalguna 1922)| publisher = Research, Reference and Training Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India}}</ref> He was the longest-serving member{{Efn|Note Indrajit Gupta is only the longest serving member of [[Lok Sabha]] not [[Indian Parliament]] as [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] has been elected 12 times to [[Indian Parliament]], 10 Times to [[Lok Sabha]] and twice to [[Rajya Sabha]] while Inderjit Gupta has won 11 times}} having been elected eleven times to the [[Lok Sabha]] the lower house of [[Indian Parliament]].He suffered his only electoral reverse when he lost to [[Ashok Krishna Dutt]] in 1977 after the CPI supported [[Indian Emergency|Emergency]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/obituary/story/20010305-freedom-fighter-and-politician-indrajit-gupta-passes-away-775603-2001-03-05 | title=Freedom fighter and politician Indrajit Gupta passes away | publisher=India Today | work=Sumit Mitra | date=5 March 2001 | access-date=17 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/indrajit-gupta-longest-serving-parliamentarian/story-ywrTqgiKRKRTxTkOnrP0RP.html | title=Indrajit Gupta: longest serving Parliamentarian | publisher=Hindustan Times | date=13 August 2002 | access-date=17 January 2019}}</ref>

==Early life==
Gupta belonged to an illustrious [[Baidya]]-[[Brahmo]] (বৈদ্য-ব্রাহ্ম) family of Calcutta. His paternal grandfather, [[Behari Lal Gupta]] (বিহারিলাল গুপ্ত), the 3rd Indian member of the [[Indian Civil Service|ICS]], was a Dewan (দেওয়ান) of Baroda after retirement. His father, Satish Chandra Gupta (সতীশচন্দ্র গুপ্ত) (c. 1877–7 September 1964), who belonged to the Indian Audits and Accounts Service, was an Accountant General (অ্যাকাউনন্টেট জেনারেল) of India and retired as Secretary (সচিব) of the Central Legislative Assembly in 1933.<ref>{{cite journal |date=9 September 1964 |title=Obituary Reference |url=https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/3010/1/lsd_03_09_09-09-1964.pdf |journal=Lok Sabha Debates |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=651 |access-date=6 October 2020}}</ref>
His elder brother, Ranajit Gupta (রঞ্জিত গুপ্ত), [[Indian Civil Service|ICS]], was the [[Chief Secretary (India)|Chief Secretary]] (মুক্ষ সচিব) of [[West Bengal]].

After his schooling at Ballygunge Government High School (বালীগঞ্জ রাষ্ট্রিয় উচ্চ বিদ্যালয়া), he went to Simla, where his father was posted. Gupta studied at [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi]] and later went to [[King's College, Cambridge]].<ref name = "India Today">{{cite web
| url = http://www.india-today.com/itoday/20010305/obituary.shtml
| title = Gentleman Communist
| access-date = 15 March 2007
| last = Mitra
| first = Sumit
| work = Obituary
| publisher = India Today
}}</ref> While studying in England he came under the influence of [[Rajani Palme Dutt]] and joined the communist movement.<ref name = "Bose">Bose, Anjali, ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary), Appendix of Vol II, 2005, p. 9, {{in lang|bn}}, Sansad</ref> With a [[Tripos]] from the [[University of Cambridge]]<ref name = "India Today"/> he returned to [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] in 1938 to join the peasants' and workers' movement.<ref name = "Bose"/> He not only had to go to jail for his communist activities but was also sentenced to 'party jail' in 1948 for adopting a soft stand within the party.<ref name = "Bose"/> He went underground in India during 1948–50 when there was a crackdown on Communists.<ref name = "I&B"/>

==Parliamentarian==
Gupta was elected to the [[Lok Sabha]], the lower house of [[Parliament of India]], for the first time in 1960, in a by-election. Thereafter, except for a short period from 1977 to 1980, he was a member till his death. In later years, as a result of his being the oldest member of the Lok Sabha he served as pro tem Speaker in 1996, 1998 and 1999. The office of pro tem Speaker is a ceremonial one mainly to conduct the swearing in of the newly elected members.<ref name = "I&B"/>

He was a member of the second and third Lok Sabha from 1962 to 1967 representing [[Kolkata Dakshin (Lok Sabha constituency)#1951-1962 Calcutta South West, Calcutta South East, Calcutta East|Calcutta South-West]]; fourth and fifth Lok Sabha from 1967 to 1977 representing [[Kolkata Dakshin (Lok Sabha constituency)#1967-1971 Alipore|Alipore]]; seventh and eighth Lok Sabha from 1980 to 1989 representing [[Basirhat (Lok Sabha constituency)#1977-2004|Basirhat]]; and ninth to thirteenth Lok Sabha from 1989 till his death representing [[Medinipur (Lok Sabha constituency)#1977-2004|Midnapore]] parliamentary constituencies of West Bengal.<ref name = "Debates">{{cite web
| url = http://164.100.24.208/debate/debtext.asp?slno=1929&ser=&smode=
| title = References made to passing away of Shri Indrajit Gupta
| access-date = 15 March 2007
| work = Part II Proceedings other than Questions and Answers (XIII Lok Sabha)
| publisher = Lok Sabha Debates
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030719085045/http://164.100.24.208/debate/debtext.asp?slno=1929&ser=&smode=
| archive-date = 19 July 2003
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.eci.gov.in/SR_KeyHighLights/LS_1999/Vol_I_LS_99.pdf| title = Statistical Report on General Elections 1999 to the Thirteenth Lok Sabha| access-date = 29 March 2007| work = Volume I (National and State abstracts)| publisher = Election Commission of India, New Delhi| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930050423/http://www.eci.gov.in/SR_KeyHighLights/LS_1999/Vol_I_LS_99.pdf| archive-date = 30 September 2007| url-status = dead}}</ref>

Gupta served on a number of parliamentary committees with distinction. He was chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on defence during 1995–1996 and was chairman of the committee on subordinate legislation from 1999 till his death. He was a member of the rules committee during 1990–1991, general purposes committee during 1985–1989 and from 1998 onwards; committee on defence from 1998–2000, committee on petitions during 1986–1987, business advisory committee from 1986–1987 and in 1989, library committee during 1990–1991 and the committee to review Lok Sabha Secretariat rules in 1990.<ref name = "Debates"/>

As an opposition stalwart and leader of the CPI group, Gupta's speeches in the Lok Sabha were marked by 'force with moderation, criticism with reason', and earned him the admiration of even his political opponents. Though not enamoured of office, Gupta accepted the cabinet berth in the United Front Government during 1996–98. As Home Minister, Gupta was still blunt about government's failures and raised many an eyebrow among the treasury benches with his frank observations. When he was the Home Minister and the [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]] the main opposition party, his favourite phrase on meeting the more vocal opposition members after a stormy day was: "If I were in the Opposition I'd have done what you did."<ref name = "I&B"/>

Gupta was conferred with the ‘Outstanding Parliamentarian’ Award in 1992.<ref name = "Debates"/> He served the Lok Sabha for 37 years, and when he died [[President of India|President]] [[K.R. Narayanan]] paid a tribute, using three characteristics in his condolence message that suitably describes the man: "[[Gandhism|Gandhian]] simplicity, democratic outlook and deep commitment to values."<ref name = "I&B"/>

==Partyman==
On return to India in 1938, he wrote to the Communist Party, offering his services "in any suitable capacity". During the underground phase of the party, Gupta worked under the alias Surya, given to him by the party's 'technical cell'. In 1964, [[1964 split in the Communist Party of India|when the party split]], Gupta was among the 35 members of the National Council who swore by the parent organisation led by S.A. Dange. Always skeptical about the [[Indian National Congress|Congress Party]], he formally opposed the idea of his party joining the United Front cabinet in 1996 with its support, but caved in as the majority demanded it.<ref name = "I&B"/>

Rising from the grassroots level in the Communist Party of India. Gupta was made General Secretary of CPI in 1990 at the age of 71. He held the office for six years till 1996. An active trade unionist, Gupta had earlier been General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress during 1980–90. He was also Vice-President of the [[World Federation of Trade Unions]] and elected its President in 1998.<ref name = "I&B"/>

He was a stickler for decency. On entering politics he accepted the official code of conduct of the Communist Party from which he never deviated. He lived in a two-room quarter at the Western Court, and walked to the Lok Sabha until he became a minister. Subsequently, also he led a simple life and shunned many of the facilities he was entitled to. When he was minister, he never allowed the official car to enter the airport tarmac for him after a flight. Instead he used the airline bus to reach the terminal.<ref name = "I&B"/>

==Personal life==
He married, at the age of 62, Suraiya, the woman he had loved for many years. He waited till her earlier marriage with photographer Ahmed Ali (father of social activist [[Nafisa Ali]]) was lawfully dissolved.<ref name = "India Today"/>

==Works==
''Capital and Labour in the Jute Industry'' and ''Self Reliance in National Defence''<ref name = "I&B"/>

==Opinions==

===On Left politics===
“The Left as it is at present is certainly not going to come to power. There is not even a ghost of a chance of that. We will continue to be a part of the Opposition. If you want to achieve the objective that you have declared, then you should try to adopt tactics that would avoid or minimise the division of anti-BJP votes to the extent possible. This strategy should be adopted in all states other than in those states where the BJP is still not a major factor at all, where we would continue to have our main conflict with the Congress."<ref name = "Frontline">{{cite web
| url = http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1806/18060930.htm
| title = Indrajit Gupta in an introspective interview
| access-date = 15 March 2007
| last = Paranjay Guha Thakurta
| first = R. Shankar
| work = Of the Left, coalition dynamics, electoral compulsions, caste factors...
| publisher = Frontline Vol 18, Issue 06, 17–30 March 2001
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070714035030/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1806/18060930.htm
| archive-date = 14 July 2007
| url-status = usurped
}}</ref>

===On caste-ridden politics===
“A [[Indian caste system|caste]]-ridden society and a bitter caste war is a very big inhibiting factor that has held the Left back. From the beginning, we never bothered about the caste factor. In the old days the Communists never bothered about this. We were all class-wallahs. Exploitation of one class by another class is okay. But exploitation of one caste by another caste was never a big factor in our minds. But in a Hindu society, I find this [the caste system] is the dominant thing – much more than class. We have a working class in the big industrial centres where we [the Communists] were the dominant force among the workers, particularly at the trade union level. Big strikes were taking place. We were leading those strikes. But when it came to [[elections]], the same worker who was carrying a red flag on his shoulders to get a higher salary or a bonus, would look towards his own [[caste]].

“I don't think the Communists, the [[Marxism|Marxists]], in this country paid sufficient attention or made a proper study of this phenomenon. It is not a phenomenon which started one day. It has been there for one thousand years. And every educated fellow, the elite of our society, goes around saying that we are above caste. This is telling lies. Read the matrimonial columns in the papers. Yes, they don't indulge in crude forms of casteism – not allowing someone to drink out of the same glass – but will they allow a [[Dalit]] to come and sit at their table and eat with them? I doubt it very much. Of course, marriage is out of the question. This thing is so deeply rooted in our psyche, this [[Manu Smriti|Manusmriti]], this [[Varna in Hinduism|Chaturvarna]] [four basic castes], to get out of it will take a thousand years."<ref name = "Frontline"/>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://164.100.47.194/Loksabha/Members/MemberBioprofile.aspx?mpsno=148&lastls=13 Official biographical sketch in Parliament of India website]
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box
| before=[[H. D. Deve Gowda]]
| title=[[Minister for Home Affairs (India)|Union Minister for Home Affairs of India]]
| years=1996–1998
| after=[[Lal Krishna Advani]]
}}
{{s-npo|union}}
{{succession box|title=President of the [[World Federation of Trade Unions]]|years=1989–1990|before=[[Sándor Gáspár (politician)|Sándor Gáspár]]|after=Ibrahim Zakharia}}
{{s-end}}

{{Home Ministry (India)}}
{{Eleventh to Fourteenth Lok Sabha, West Bengal}}
{{First to Tenth Lok Sabha, West Bengal}}
{{World Federation of Trade Unions}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gupta, Indrajit}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:Bengali politicians]]
[[Category:Alumni of King's College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India politicians from West Bengal]]
[[Category:2nd Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:3rd Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:4th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:5th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:7th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:8th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:9th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:10th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:11th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:12th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:13th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:Indian accountants]]
[[Category:Indian atheists]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from West Bengal]]
[[Category:People from Alipore]]
[[Category:Ministers of Internal Affairs of India]]
[[Category:Pro tem Speakers of the Lok Sabha]]
[[Category:People from North 24 Parganas district]]
[[Category:People from South 24 Parganas district]]
[[Category:People from Kolkata district]]
[[Category:People from Paschim Medinipur district]]

Indrajit Gupta - Revision history

117.209.89.0 at 02:44, 4 April 2024