National
Body of veteran Tripura CPI-M leader donated to Medical College
Agartala, Jan 22 (IANS) The body of octogenarian CPI-M leader Khagen Das, who died in Kolkata following a massive cardiac arrest on Sunday, was donated to the government-run Gobinda Ballav Panth Medical College and Hospital here on Monday.
A teacher-turned-politician, Das, 82, a former Tripura Minister and ex-member of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, leaves behind his wife and two daughters.
With 82 red flags facing downwards and dedicatory Communist International songs by artistes and singers, a huge procession of thousands of people went around the capital city Agartala and its outskirts after which the Marxist leader’s body was taken to the government-Hospital before being donated to the medical college authority as per the Left leader’s last wishes.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Politburo member and Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, state party secretary Bijan Dhar, Central Committee member Gautam Das, West district secretary Pabitra Kar, Lok Sabha member Jitendra Choudhury among many other men and women leaders, members and workers accompanied the body as it was taken in a procession.
His body was kept on Sunday at the party office for people to pay their last respects.
“As a mark of respect to the leader — who joined the CPI-M in 1968 – the party flag since Sunday was flying at half mast and all party programmes remained suspended for Sunday and Monday,” Bijan Dhar said.
“The announcement of names of party candidates for the February 18 Tripura Assembly elections would be done on Tuesday instead of Monday, as announced earlier.”
Chief Minister Sarkar said: “Khagenda was among the leading Communist leaders in Tripura. Just before assembly elections, we have lost a guardian, well-organised and knowledgeable party leader.”
Das was in Kolkata to attend the three-day (January 19-21) Central Committee meeting of the CPI-M when he complained of chest pain early on Sunday at the Tripura Bhavan, where he was put up.
“He expired in the wee hours of Sunday before he was taken to a nearby private hospital,” a visibly shocked Dhar added.
Das was one of the speakers on day two of the Central Committee session on Saturday.
The deceased Left leader was a Rajya Sabha member from 1998 to 2002, when he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Tripura West. He retained the seat in 2004 and 2009.
When the CPI-M-led Left Front government first came to power in Tripura in 1978, Das was a two-term (1978 to 1988) legislator in the Tripura Assembly from Western Tripura’s Majlishpur and served as the Health, Statistics and Revenue Minister in the state from 1983 to 1988.
A postgraduate from Calcutta University, he was the Political Secretary to then Tripura Chief Minister Dasaratha Deb from 1993 to 1998.
He was elected convenor of the Tripura Left Front in 2006 and served in that capacity till his death. He was also a senior member of the party’s Tripura State Secretariat.
A CPI-M Politburo statement said that Das had migrated from erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to Kolkata and did his schooling and college in Kolkata. After completing his postgraduation from Calcutta University he worked briefly at the Kolkata Port Trust.
“Later on, he shifted to Agartala in the 1960s and worked as a schoolteacher. It was during his involvement with the schoolteachers’ movement that he was attracted to the party,” it added.
The statement said that Das was the founder-Secretary of the Democratic Youth Federation in Tripura. He was elected to the CPI-M State Secretariat in 1994 and to the Central Committee at its 18th Congress in 2005 in New Delhi.
–IANS
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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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