Shripad Amrit Dange (Aged 91) born on 10 October 1899, was a founding member of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and a stalwart of the Indian trade union movement. During the British Raj, Dange was arrested by the British authorities for his communist and trade union activities and was jailed for a total of 13 years.
After India’s independence, a series of events, such as the Sino-Soviet split, the Sino-Indian war, and the revelation that while in jail, Dange had written letters to the British Government offering them cooperation, led to a split in the Communist Party of India in 1964. The breakaway Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI (M)) emerged stronger in terms of membership and their performance in Indian elections.
Dange, who remained the Chairman of the CPI till 1978, was removed in that year because the majority of party workers were against Dange’s political line of supporting the Indian National Congress and Indira Gandhi, the then Congress Prime Minister. He was expelled from the CPI in 1981. He joined the All India Communist Party (AICP) and later the United Communist Party of India. Towards the end, Dange got increasingly marginalized in the Indian Communist movement. He was also a well-known writer and was the founder of Socialist, the first socialist weekly in India.
Dange played an important role in the formation of Maharashtra state. He was a keen follower of literature and had published a book called “Literature and People,” advocating socialist realism as opposed to elitism. He passed away on 22 May 1991.
The Indian Parliament honored Dange when Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, unveiled the 9-feet high bronze statue of Dange, along with other left leaders such as Acharya Narendra Deva and A.K. Gopalan, in Parliament House.
Shripad Amrit Dange
(1899 – 1991) – (Maharashtra)
Shripad Amrit Dange (Aged 91) born on 10 October 1899, was a founding member of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and a stalwart of the Indian trade union movement. During the British Raj, Dange was arrested by the British authorities for his communist and trade union activities and was jailed for a total of 13 years.
After India’s independence, a series of events, such as the Sino-Soviet split, the Sino-Indian war, and the revelation that while in jail, Dange had written letters to the British Government offering them cooperation, led to a split in the Communist Party of India in 1964. The breakaway Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI (M)) emerged stronger in terms of membership and their performance in Indian elections.
Dange, who remained the Chairman of the CPI till 1978, was removed in that year because the majority of party workers were against Dange’s political line of supporting the Indian National Congress and Indira Gandhi, the then Congress Prime Minister. He was expelled from the CPI in 1981. He joined the All India Communist Party (AICP) and later the United Communist Party of India. Towards the end, Dange got increasingly marginalized in the Indian Communist movement. He was also a well-known writer and was the founder of Socialist, the first socialist weekly in India.
Dange played an important role in the formation of Maharashtra state. He was a keen follower of literature and had published a book called “Literature and People,” advocating socialist realism as opposed to elitism. He passed away on 22 May 1991.
The Indian Parliament honored Dange when Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, unveiled the 9-feet high bronze statue of Dange, along with other left leaders such as Acharya Narendra Deva and A.K. Gopalan, in Parliament House.
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