Indrajit Gupta
Encyclopedia
Indrajit Gupta (16 March 1919 - 20 February 2001) was a Communist
leader who became India
s Union Minister for Home Affairs
in the United Front
government from 1996 to 1998. That was a dramatic reversal of roles, as the Ministry of Home Affairs had, since Indian independence in 1947, banned the Communist Party
thrice, with many of its members, including Gupta, being sent to prison or pushed underground for long stretches.
family of Calcutta. His paternal grandfather, Behari Lal Gupta
, ICS, was the Dewan of Baroda and his elder brother, Ranajit Gupta, ICS, was a Chief Secretary of West Bengal. His father, Satish Gupta, who belonged to the IA&AS was an Accountant General
of India. After his schooling at Simla, where his father was posted, Gupta studied at St. Stephen's College, Delhi
and later went to King's College, Cambridge
. While studying in England he came under the influence of Rajani Palme Dutt
and joined the communist movement. With a Tripos
from the University of Cambridge
he returned to Calcutta
in 1938 to join the peasants' and workers' movement. 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. He went underground in India during 1948-50 when there was a crackdown on Communists.
, the lower house of Parliament of India
, for the first time in 1960. 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 protem Speaker in 1996, 1998 and 1999. The office of protem Speaker is a ceremonial one mainly to conduct the swearing in of the newly elected members.
He was a member of second and third Lok Sabha from 1960 to 1967 representing Calcutta South-West; fourth and fifth Lok Sabha from 1967 to 1977 representing Alipore; seventh and eighth Lok Sabha from 1980 to 1989 representing Basirhat; and ninth to thirteenth Lok Sabha from 1989 till his death representing Midnapore parliamentary constituencies of West Bengal.
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.
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 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."
Gupta was conferred with the ‘Outstanding Parliamentarian’ Award in 1992. He served the Lok Sabha for 37 years, and when he died President
K.R. Narayanan paid a tribute, using three characteristics in his condolence message that suitably describes the man: "Gandhian
simplicity, democratic outlook and deep commitment to values."
, 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.
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.
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.
(father of social activist Nafisa Ali) was lawfully dissolved.
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.”
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 in order to get a higher salary or a bonus, would look towards his own caste.
“I don't think the Communists, the arxists
, 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 Manusmriti
, this Chaturvarna (four basic castes), to get out of it will take a thousand years.”
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
leader who became India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
s Union Minister for Home Affairs
Minister for Home Affairs (India)
The Home Minister, or more properly the Minister for Home Affairs, is a position in the Indian Cabinet, at both State and Union levels. The Home Ministry is one of the most important, powerful and high profile ministry after the Prime Minister...
in the United Front
United Front (India)
The United Front was a coalition government of 13 political parties formed in India after the 1996 general elections. The coalition formed two governments in India between 1996 and 1998. The government was headed by two Prime Ministers from Janata Dal - H. D. Deve Gowda, and I. K. Gujral...
government from 1996 to 1998. That was a dramatic reversal of roles, as the Ministry of Home Affairs had, since Indian independence in 1947, banned the Communist Party
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
thrice, with many of its members, including Gupta, being sent to prison or pushed underground for long stretches.
Early life
Gupta belonged to an anglicised BrahmoBrahmo
A Brahmo is either an adherent of Brahmoism to the exclusion of all other religions, or a person with at least one Brahmo parent or guardian and who has never denied his faith...
family of Calcutta. His paternal grandfather, Behari Lal Gupta
Behari Lal Gupta
-Early life and education:He was born in Calcutta and studied in Hare School and Presidency College, Calcutta before proceeding with his childhood friends R.C. Dutt and Surendranath Banerjee to England for higher studies...
, ICS, was the Dewan of Baroda and his elder brother, Ranajit Gupta, ICS, was a Chief Secretary of West Bengal. His father, Satish Gupta, who belonged to the IA&AS was an Accountant General
Accountant General
The Accountant General or Accountant-General was formerly an officer in the English Court of Chancery who received all moneys lodged in court, deposited them in a bank, and disbursed them. The office was abolished by the Chancery Funds Act of 1872, with the duties transferred to the...
of India. After his schooling at Simla, where his father was posted, Gupta studied at St. Stephen's College, Delhi
St. Stephen's College, Delhi
St. Stephen's College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi located in Delhi, India. The college admits both undergraduates and post-graduates, and awards degrees under the purview of the University. Famous for its rich history and many traditions, St...
and later went to King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
. While studying in England he came under the influence of Rajani Palme Dutt
Rajani Palme Dutt
Rajani Palme Dutt , best known as R. Palme Dutt, was a leading journalist and theoretician in the Communist Party of Great Britain.-Early years:...
and joined the communist movement. With a Tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
from the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
he returned to Calcutta
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
in 1938 to join the peasants' and workers' movement. 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. He went underground in India during 1948-50 when there was a crackdown on Communists.
Parliamentarian
Gupta was elected to the Lok SabhaLok 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...
, the lower house of Parliament of India
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
, for the first time in 1960. 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 protem Speaker in 1996, 1998 and 1999. The office of protem Speaker is a ceremonial one mainly to conduct the swearing in of the newly elected members.
He was a member of second and third Lok Sabha from 1960 to 1967 representing Calcutta South-West; fourth and fifth Lok Sabha from 1967 to 1977 representing Alipore; seventh and eighth Lok Sabha from 1980 to 1989 representing Basirhat; and ninth to thirteenth Lok Sabha from 1989 till his death representing Midnapore parliamentary constituencies of West Bengal.
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.
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 BJP
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
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."
Gupta was conferred with the ‘Outstanding Parliamentarian’ Award in 1992. He served the Lok Sabha for 37 years, and when he died President
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
K.R. Narayanan paid a tribute, using three characteristics in his condolence message that suitably describes the man: "Gandhian
Gandhism
Gandhism is the collection of inspirations, principles, beliefs and philosophy of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , who was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian Independence Movement....
simplicity, democratic outlook and deep commitment to values."
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, 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 sceptical about the Congress PartyIndian 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...
, 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.
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
World Federation of Trade Unions
The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
and elected its President in 1998.
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.
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 AliAhmed Ali
Ahmed Ali was an Indian novelist, poet, critic, translator, diplomat and scholar, who was responsible for writing Twilight in Delhi. Born in Delhi, India, he was involved in progressive literary movements as a young man...
(father of social activist Nafisa Ali) was lawfully dissolved.
On Left politics
“The LeftLeft Front
The Left Front is an alliance of Indian leftist parties. After a 34-year reign in West Bengal, the Left Front was swept from power in the 2011 election...
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.”
On caste-ridden politics
“A 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 strikesStrike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
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 in order to get a higher salary or a bonus, would look towards his own caste.
“I don't think the Communists, the arxists
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
, 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
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
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 Manusmriti
Manu Smriti
' , also known as Mānava-Dharmaśāstra , is the most important and earliest metrical work of the Dharmaśāstra textual tradition of Hinduism...
, this Chaturvarna (four basic castes), to get out of it will take a thousand years.”