Indian freedom fighter and politician
Bibhuti Bhusan Das Gupta (15 January 1904 - 15 April 1975)[1]
was an Indian freedom fighter and politician.
Early life
Das Gupta was born in the village Sonarang in Dacca District in January 1904.[2] He was the son of Rishi Nibaran Chandra Das Gupta.[2] Das Gupta studied at Rajindra College in Faridpur.[3] He didn't finish his college education, but joined the struggle for Indian independence instead.[2]
Politics
In 1921 he acted as village-level secretary of the Indian National Congress.[2] Between 1922 and 1948 he was a member of the Manbhum District Congress Committee and the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee.[2] Das Gupta was a member of the All India Congress Committee between 1938 and 1948.[2]
Dasgupta was one of the Congress leaders in Manbhum that was arrest in connection with the Salt satyagrah.[4] Upon release from jail (around 1931–1932) he joined with Nibaranchandra Das Gupta to set up the Lok Sevak Sangh, a Gandhian movement working for Swaraj and social reform.[4] They challenged caste hierarchies, preaching to Adivasis and Dalits to participate in social and political life on equal terms with upper caste Hindus.[4] The organization sought to fight against discrimination against lepers.[4]
In 1938-1939 he served as Vice Chairman of Purulia municipality.[2][3] He was arrested during the Quit India movement.[5] He took part in transforming the Lok Sewak Sangh into a political party in 1948 and became its general secretary.[2]
Das Gupta was elected to the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Parliament of India) from the Purulia seat in the 1957 Indian general election .[6]
Das Gupta won the Purulia constituency seat in the 1967 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.[7] After the election Das Gupta was named Minister for Panchayats and Social Welfare in the first United Front government.[8][9]
Das Gupta retained the Purulia seat in the 1969 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.[7] He was named Minister of Panchayats in the second United Front government, formed in 1969.[7]
He served as editor of Mukti.[2] He lived at Shilpasram in Purulia.[2]
References