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'''Mohammed Abdullah Rasul,''' Born: 1903, Died: 21 November 1991, was an Indian politician. He belonged to the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]].<ref name="Committee" /> M.A. Rasul was a prominent leader of the peasants' movement and served as minister in the [[West Bengal]] state government for a short period in the 1960s.

'''<u>OBITUARY:</u>'''

''EXTRACT FOR“ THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE WEST BENGAL LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY DATED 6th MARCH, 1992.''

MR. SPEAKER : Hon'ble Members, I rise to perform a melancholy duty to refer to the sad demise of the Ex—Ministers of this State, sitting as well as ex-members of this Legislature and other personalities renowned in their spheres who passed away after the last session of the Assembly.

<nowiki>***</nowiki> *** ***

Shri Md. Abdullah Rasul, a freedom fighter, a former Minister of the Government of West Bengal, one of the founders of the All India Kisan Sabha and a member of the Secretariat of the Communist-Party of India (Marxist) West Bengal State Committee died on 21 November 1991. He was born in 1903 in the district of Burdwan. He got his education at Memari, Burdwan. Having finished the school education, he joined Government Service but in 1921 he resigned from the service for the sake of taking part in the non-co-operation movement launched against the imperialist foreign ruler. He was arrested in December, 1921 as a 'Satya-grahi'. He acted as the Secretary of the Burdwan District Khilafat Committee during the period 1922-23. In 1922, he became a member of the District Congress Committee of Bengal.

He spent the period from 1926 to 1929 at Lahore to study Islamic History and comparative Religion. He also worked as an Editor of the 'Light', an English Weekly of Lahore. On his return to Calcutta, he associated himself with the 'Bombay Chronicle' and 'Al-Balagh', a Cairo Daily in Arabic, as their Calcutta Correspondent. He was arrested in 1932 for having taken part in the freedom movement. With the help of some friends he published an English weekly named 'The Comrade' during the period from 1937 to 1939.

In 1938, he got the membership of the Communist Party of India and became a fulltimer of the Party. He devoted himself to the task of organizing the farmers and was connected with the peasant movement till the last day of his life. He was elected General Secretary of the Bengal Provincial Krishak Sabha. In 1940-41, he was the General Secretary of the All India Krishak Sabha.

When the party was banned in 1940, Shri Rasul went underground. After the lifting of ban on the party in July 1942, he was arrested in Mymansingh.

In 1946-47, he took part in the 'Tebhaga Movement' launched by the 'Krishak Sabha'.

In 1947 he was elected General Secretary of the All India Krishak Sabha.

He was elected a member of the West Bengal Legislative Council in 1960. He was the Minister- in—Charge of Transport Department of the Second United Front Ministry of West Bengal in 1969.

He was elected a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1982.

As a representative of the All India Krishak Sabha, he went to the countries like the U.S.S.R, Czechoslovakia, Iraq. He visited Syria as a representative of the Party.

Shri Rasul was the author of several books written in Bengal viz. 'Krishak Sabhar Itihash', 'Communism Kahake Bale', 'Santal Bidroher Kahini', apart from some novels such as 'Abad' and 'Sahar Theke Grame'.

At his death the country has lost a veteran politician, a dynamic leader of the peasant front and a firm but pleasant personality.

<nowiki>***</nowiki> *** *** ***

Now, I would request the Hon'ble Members to rise in their seats for two minutes as a mark of respect to the deceased.

[ After two minutes]

Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen. Secretary will send the message of condolence to the members of bereaved families of the deceased.

******************

==Early political activity==
Rasul hailed from [[Burdwan]].<ref name="Mahēndra2006">{{cite book|author=Ke. El Mahēndra|title=Recollections and reflections|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EkvtAAAAMAAJ|date=1 January 2006|publisher=Prachee Publications|isbn=978-81-7443-020-5|page=90}}</ref> Rasul was a leader of the peasant movement.<ref name="DasBandyopadhyay2004">{{cite book|author1=Suranjan Das|author2=Premansukumar Bandyopadhyay|title=Food Movement of 1959: Documenting a Turning Point in the History of West Bengal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bYPaAAAAMAAJ|year=2004|publisher=K.P. Bagchi & Company|isbn=978-81-7074-268-5|page=181}}</ref> Rasul was arrested during the [[Price Increase and Famine Resistance Committee|1959 Food Movement]].<ref name="DasBandyopadhyay2004"/> In January 1936 he was one of the leaders, gathered in [[Meerut]], that were tasked with convening the founding conference of the [[All India Kisan Sabha]] in [[Lucknow]].<ref name=a/> As a political activist, Rasul was an associate of [[Muzaffar Ahmed (politician)|Muzaffar Ahmed]].<ref name="Conference1992"/> Around 1943 Rasul was sent to [[Chittagong]], to make contact with the [[Communist Party of Burma]], but his trip was suspended due to a boat accident.<ref>{{cite book|title=Memoirs: 25 communist freedom fighters|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZxduAAAAMAAJ|year=2005|publisher=People's Democracy|page=171}}</ref>

==Independence, Partition and Tebhaga movement==
Rasul was elected General Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha at its 10th conference held in [[Sikandra Rao]] in 1947.<ref name="Conference1992"/> At the time the Kisan Sabha was facing government repression.<ref name="Conference1992"/> He resigned from this post in the early 1950s, in order to facilitate merger talks with the [[All India United Kisan Sabha]] (a break-away group).<ref name="Rasul1974">{{cite book|author=Md. Abdullah Rasul|title=A History of the All India Kisan Sabha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f04EAAAAMAAJ|year=1974|publisher=National Book Agency|page=156}}</ref> Following the [[Second Party Congress of the Communist Party of India]], held in [[Calcutta]] in 1948, at which the [[Communist Party of Pakistan]] was founded, Rasul and a number of other Muslim party leaders were sent to [[East Pakistan]] to build the party there.<ref name="Umar2004">{{cite book|author=Badruddin Umar|title=The Emergence of Bangladesh: Class Struggles in East Pakistan, 1947–1958|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z47tAAAAMAAJ|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-579571-4|page=46}}</ref> Rasul's stay in Pakistan became short, however, and he soon returned to India.<ref name="Umar2004"/> He was a leader of the [[Tebhaga movement]].<ref name="Majumdar1993">{{cite book|author=Asok Majumdar|title=Peasant protest in Indian politics: Tebhaga movement in Bengal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i1tuAAAAMAAJ|date=1 September 1993|publisher=NIB Publishers|isbn=978-81-85538-01-3|page=56}}</ref>

==Legislator and Minister==
Rasul was a Member of the [[West Bengal Legislative Council]].<ref name=a>{{cite book|title=Asian Recorder|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EGPVAAAAMAAJ|volume=16|year=1970|publisher=K. K. Thomas at Recorder Press|page=9445}}</ref> He was elected by the [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly]].<ref name="Council1962">{{cite book|author=West Bengal (India). Legislature. Legislative Council|title=Council Debates; Official Report|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4jEgAQAAIAAJ|year=1962|page=iv}}</ref> He was named Minister of Transport (leading the Transport branch of the Home Department) in the second [[United Front (1967)|United Front]] government of West Bengal, formed in February 1969.<ref name="Committee">{{cite book|author=Communist Party of India (Marxist). West Bengal State Committee|title=Election results of West Bengal: statistics & analysis, 1952–1991|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CNeNAAAAMAAJ|publisher=The Committee|page=379|isbn=9788176260282}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Intercontinental Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OwtbAAAAMAAJ|volume=7|year=1969|publisher=Intercontinental Press|page=274}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Hindustan Year-book and Who's who|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fG9DAAAAYAAJ|volume=37|year=1969|publisher=M. C. Sarkar.|page=211}}</ref> Rasul resigned as Minister of Transport after the West Bengal Legislative Council was abolished.<ref name=a/> [[Mohammed Amin (politician)|Mohammed Amin]] was sworn in as new Minister of Transport on 4 February 1970.<ref name=a/>

==Later years==
The 26th conference of the [[All India Kisan Sabha (Ashoka Road)]] elected Rasul as Vice-President.<ref name="Conference1992"/>

Rasul died on 21 November 1991, at the age of 88.<ref name="Conference1992">{{cite book|author=All India Kisan Sabha. Conference|title=Documents of the ... Conference of All India Kisan Sabha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=asxEAQAAIAAJ|year=1992|publisher=All India Kisan Sabha|pages=40–41}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|author=Md. Abdullah Rasul|title=A History of the All India Kisan Sabha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f04EAAAAMAAJ|year=1974|publisher=National Book Agency}}
*{{cite book|author=Md. Abdullah Rasul|title=Krshaka Sabhara itihasa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zcg0AQAAIAAJ|year=1980|publisher=Nabajataka Prakasana}}
*{{cite book|author=Md. Abdullah Rasul|title=Grāme grāmāntare|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=etq1AAAAIAAJ|year=1985|publisher=Nyāśanāla Buka Ejensi}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasul, M. A.}}
[[Category:Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from West Bengal]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the West Bengal Legislative Council]]
[[Category:State cabinet ministers of West Bengal]]
[[Category:People from Purba Bardhaman district]]

M.A. Rasul - Revision history

->SdkbBot at 02:08, 5 January 2022