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P.R. Dasmunsi: Brilliant organiser who rose during golden hour of student politics (Obituary)

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By Sirshendu Panth
Kolkata, Nov 20 (IANS) Articulate and multifaceted, Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi was a master in political manoeuvring and the topmost leader of the youth brigade that took West Bengal by storm in the late 1960s, to sideline the Communists and bring back the Congress to power in 1972.

It was a time when the Maoist movement went from strength to strength in the state, with bright youngsters leaving schools, colleges and universities to follow Charu Majumdar’s doctrine of annihilating ‘class enemies’, that virtually saw a bloodbath over the years.

Dasmunsi was then the magnet for those young men and women, who disagreed with the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) — the main force of the two United Front governments in the state in 1967 and 1969 — as also the policy of the bullets espoused by the Maoists.

First as a student leader in the Calcutta University, and then as a brilliant Youth Congress organiser, Dasmunsi was a major draw with his fiery oratory and many of his proteges like Subrata Mukherjee and Sougata Roy went on to occupy key positions in the government, state Congress, and in later years, to the breakaway Trinamool Congress.

The student and youth movements, militant, but pacifist compared to the Maoist line, enabled Siddhartha Shankar Ray to become the chief minister at the head of a Congress government. At the same time it gave birth to bitter factional fights in the state party, which continue to this day.

Groupism and lobby politics have often been cited as key reasons for the Congress singlehandedly failing to dislodge the communist-led Left Front government that remained in power for 34 years till 2011, when Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress combined with the Congress to take over power.

A grieving Mukherjee recalled the turbulent 60s and 70s. “I have become fatherless again. In my politics, as also at a personal level, I had only Priyada. We were a pair. Everybody used to say Priya-Subrata. We lived together in a commune. We studied in Calcutta University. He even cooked for me. He led a high-quality student movement under the banner of the Chhatra Parishad. It was because of him that the Left led United Front lost power, and S.S. Ray became chief minister”.

Dasmunsi’s talent saw his meteoric rise in the 1970s in the Congress, then led by Indira Gandhi. He became an All India Congress Committee member in 1970, was made the state youth Congress chief the same year, and entered the Lok Sabha from the then South Calcutta seat in 1971, at the young age of 26.

As early as 1971, he was elected president of All India Youth Congress, a position he held till 1975, when Sanjay Gandhi removed him to anoint his (Gandhi’s) favourite, Ambika Soni, to the post.

Dasmunsi did not take the snub kindly, and left the Congress in 1979, when the party split after it lost power at the centre in 1977 at the height of the anti-Emergency wave.

Dasmunsi joined the Congress (Socialist), became its West Bengal president and is said to have commented in public meetings that he would rather change his religion or eat cow-dung than return to the parent party.

But that he did after the Congress rode back to power in 1980, though Indira Gandhi never forgave him for turning against her during her difficult days.

In 1984, Dasmunsi returned to the Lok Saba from Howrah constituency by exploiting the sentiments of the jobless youths in the area. In meeting after meeting, he displayed a key and declared: “This is the key to open all closed factories and industries.”

It was a promise too farfetched in a developing nation. But then, it was typical Dasmunsi — captivating people with his gift of the gab and promising them the moon. It also showed his convincing ability and endearing personality.

In 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi inducted Dasmunsi in his council of ministers as Minister of State for Commerce. Subsequently, he was also made president of the state Congress, but the party lost badly to the LF in the 1987 state assembly polls despite Gandhi’s vigorous campaign.

Dasmunsi lost from Howrah in 1989, with many saying his failed promise to reopen factories led to the debacle,

He again bit the dust in 1991 but re-entered the Lok Sabha in 1996 from the same constituency — an indicator of the gritty fighter he was.

In 1999, Dasmunsi successfully fought the Lok Sabha elections from Raiganj (now under Uttar Dinajpur district) and repeated his success in 2004.

Dasmunsi also served as Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cabinet from 2004 to 2008, when he suffered a paralytic stroke, lost his power of speech and went into a coma from which he never came out.

As I&B minister, Dasmunsi banned several western television networks, calling their broadcasts obscene. During his tenure, the centre got Indian sports broadcaster Nimbus to share broadcast rights for Indian cricket matches with the state-run Doordarshan.

Besides brining out the Dakhhini Barta magazine, for which he wrote a large number of well-crafted articles and other literary works, Dasmunsi stewarded the country’s football for close to two decades till 2008, when, after his illness, Praful Patel took over the reins.

As AIFF president, Dasmunsi started the National Football League in 1996, served as match commissioner in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and organised the Millennium Cup international tournament in 2000.

In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Dasmunsi was named Chef-de-Mission of the Indian contingent.

Dasmunsi was born on November 13, 1945 at Chirirbandar (now in Bangladesh).

In 1994, Dasmunsi married actress Deepa Dasmunsi, who later became an MLA and MP. The couple has one son, Priyadeep, nicknamed Michil (rally).

(Sirshendu Panth can be contacted at [email protected])

–IANS
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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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