Ajit Kumar Panja was a former Union minister of state in the Government of India

Government of India

The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

. He was a member of Congress party

Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

 but left it to join Trinamool Congress. He was born in Calcutta and studied law at the Scottish Church College, Calcutta

Scottish Church College, Calcutta

The Scottish Church College is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in India. It is affiliated with the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education , the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education for the awarding of baccalaureate and post baccalaureate...

 and at the Lincoln's Inn

Lincoln's Inn

The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...

. A lawyer by profession, he authored many books. He was also a stage actor who enacted the role of Ramakrishna Paramahansa in Kolkata.

Life and career

Ajit Kumar Panja was born in Kolkata on September 13, 1936. His father was Dr. Dhanapati Panja.

Apart from political career he started performing on stage theatre in the role of "Sri Ramakrishma Paramhansa" in the play "Sri Sri Ramakrishna" (made according to the story of Noti Binodini written by Late. Brajendra Kishore Dey) organised by Kolkata High Court Advocate's Drama Association in India. The play was staged in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and USA (Washington, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles).

Ajit Panja died of oral cancer

Oral cancer

Oral cancer is a subtype of head and neck cancer, is any cancerous tissue growth located in the oral cavity. It may arise as a primary lesion originating in any of the oral tissues, by metastasis from a distant site of origin, or by extension from a neighboring anatomic structure, such as the...

 on 14 November 2008 at the Peerless Hospital.

Positions held

• 1971,1972-77 Member, West Bengal Legislative Assembly
  West Bengal Legislative Assembly
  The West Bengal Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is housed in the B.B.D. Bagh area of Kolkata —the capital of the state. Members of the Legislative assembly are directly elected by the people...
  
   and 1982–85
• 1971-72 Cabinet Minister, Judiciary and Parliamentary Affairs (Home), West Bengal
  West Bengal
  West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
  
  
• 1972-77 Cabinet Minister, Health and Family Planning and Water Supply,
• 1973 Member, All India Congress Committee (A.I.C.C.)
• 1977 President, District Congress Committee (D.C.C.) (I), North Calcutta, West Bengal
• 1980-81 President, Pradesh Congress Committee (P.C.C.)(I), West Bengal
• 1984 Elected to 8th Lok Sabha
  Lok Sabha
  The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
  
  
• 1985-86 Union Minister of State, Planning
• 1986 Union Minister of State, Food and Civil Supplies
• 1986-88 Union Minister of State, Information and Broadcasting (Independent Charge)
• 1988-89 Union Minister of State, Finance
• 1989 Re-elected to 9th Lok Sabha (2nd term)
• 1990 Member, Committee of Privileges Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Finance
• 1990-91 Member, Committee on Public Accounts Member, Informal Consultative

Committee, Railway Zone

• 1991 Re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha (3rd term)
• 1991-93 Union Minister of State, Information and Broadcasting (Independent Charge)
• 1993-95 Union Minister of State, Coal (Independent Charge)
• 1996 Re-elected to 11th Lok Sabha (4th term)
• 1996-97 Member, Committee on Energy Member, Business Advisory Committee
• 1998 Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (5th term) Chief Whip, West Bengal Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party
• 1998-99 Member, Committee on Industry Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of

Urban Affairs and Employment Chairman, West Bengal Trinamool Congress

• 1999 Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (6th term)
• 13 Oct.1999 to 2004 Union Minister of State, External Affairs

Books Published

• Encephalitis Attack in West Bengal;
• CPM Gun Shoot to Kill (English and Bengali);
• Ganatantra Hatya (Bengali);
• Siksha Khethre Nairajya (Bengali);
• Sansad Bichitra(Bengali);
• PM (Sh. V.P. Singh) Challenged to Prove Charges (English);
• Dunkel Agreement (Bengali);
• Unemployment Problems in India How to solve it (Bengali);
• Era of Excellence of Narasimha Rao Govt 4th Yr-Major Achievements and Decisions
• Mining Medicines Hand Book for Health Workers and Mine Workers

External links

• Ajit Panja