Professor Jyotibhushan Bhattacharya (1 May 1926 – 1998) was an Indian politician and scholar. He served as general secretary of the Workers Party of India.[1] He served as a Minister in both of the United Front governments in West Bengal.

Youth

Bhattacharya was born on 1 May 1926.[2] He studied at Calcutta University and Leeds University, obtaining M.A. degrees at both universities.[3][4][5] He took part in the Quit India movement and was jailed during the struggle for Indian independence.[3][6] Bhattacharya came into contact with the Democratic Vanguard leader Jibanlal Chatterjee in 1943.[7] After Chatterjee founded the WPI, Bhattacharya became a key leader of the party.[7]

WPI leader

Bhattacharya worked as a lecturer in English at Dibrugarh University, Assam, later shifting to Calcutta University, where he retired as Professor of English.[3][6] During the Sino-Indian War of 1962 cadres of the Communist Party of India, the Socialist Unity Centre of India and WPI were arrested.[8] Bhattacharya, as a leading party member, was one of the WPI cadres caught in this wave of arrests.[9]

Education Minister

Bhattacharya won the Ballygunge constituency seat in the 1967 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.[10] He obtained 21,153 votes (53.74%).[11] He served as Education Minister in the first United Front cabinet 1967–1968.[3][6]

Information and Public Relations Minister

Bhattacharya retained the Ballygunge seat in the 1969 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.[10] He obtained 22,941 votes (55.95%).[12] He served as Minister of Information and Public Relation in the second United Front cabinet 1969–1970.[10][6] On 28 May 1969 a mob attacked Bhattacharya's residence.[13]

Later years

Bhattarcharya lost his seat in the 1971 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.[14] He finished in second place with 13,943 (38.42%).[15] During the violent environment of the election campaign, he had to leave the constituency and live elsewhere.[16] In September 1971 he presented his unpublished thesis Fascism: A Developing Trend in India at the Second All India Conference of the Indian School of Social Sciences.[17] According to the thesis, a fascist system of governance was emerging in India under Congress (I) rule.[18] Bhattacharya again contested the Ballygunge seat in the 1972 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, finishing in second place with 18,181 votes (35.49%).[19]

The WPI was split in 1976, with Bhattacharya leading the minority faction.[20] Bhattacharya was seen as closer linked to the Communist Party of India (Marxist).[20] He was expelled from WPI in early 1976, accused of 'anti-party activities' in the party organ Ganabiplab.[1] After his expulsion he founded the Communist Workers Party.[1]

As of the 1980s Bhattacharya was the Head of the Department of English at Calcutta University.[5][21] Bhattacharya died in 1998.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Asish Krishna Basu (2003). Marxism in an Indian State: An Analytical Study of West Bengal Leftism. Ratna Prakashan. p. 78. ISBN 978-81-85709-73-4.
  2. ↑ Sudershan K. Savara (1968). International trade and development: UNCTAD II, New Delhi, India, February–March 1968. Commercial Publications Bureau. p. 5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Times of India (Firm) (1969). The Times of India Directory and Year Book Including Who's who. Bennett, Coleman & Company. p. 871.
  4. ↑ University of Calcutta (1957). Hundred years of the University of Calcutta supplement. University of Calcutta. p. 437.
  5. 1 2 Journal of the Department of English. Vol. 20 (1 ed.). University of Calcutta. 1984. p. 1.
  6. 1 2 3 4 India Who's who. INFA Publications. 1978. p. 211.
  7. 1 2 West Bengal. Vol. 12. Director of Information. 1964. p. 944.
  8. ↑ Dasgupta, Salien. Left Unity
  9. ↑ The Financial Express. Corridors of excellence
  10. 1 2 3 Communist Party of India (Marxist). West Bengal State Committee. Election results of West Bengal: statistics & analysis, 1952–1991. The Committee. pp. 379, 418. ISBN 9788176260282.
  11. ↑ "General Elections, India, 1967, to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal" (PDF). Constituency-wise Data, AC No 141. Election Commission. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "General Elections, India, 1969, to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal" (PDF). Constituency-wise Data, AC No 141. Election Commission. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  13. ↑ Indian Recorder and Digest. 1969. p. 37.
  14. ↑ Socialist India. Vol. 4. Indian National Congress. All India Congress Committee. November 1971. p. 132.
  15. ↑ "General Elections, India, 1971, to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal" (PDF). Constituency-wise Data, AC No 141. Election Commission. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  16. ↑ Jyoti Basu (1998). Documents of the Communist Movement in India: 1971–72. National Book Agency. p. 437. ISBN 978-81-7626-019-0.
  17. ↑ Religion and Society. Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society. 1975. p. 53.
  18. ↑ Ar Or. Nakl. Ceskoslovenské akademie věd. 1978. p. 95.
  19. ↑ "General Elections, India, 1972, to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal" (PDF). Constituency-wise Data, AC No 141. Election Commission. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  20. 1 2 Sajal Basu (1 December 1990). Factions, ideology, and politics: coalition politics in Bengal. Minerva Associates (Publications). p. 133. ISBN 978-81-85195-26-1.
  21. ↑ Srichandra Sen (1981). Arnold on Shakespeare: Mohini Mohan Bhattacharya memorial lecture, 1978. University of Calcutta.
  22. ↑ Sen Gupta Sen Gupta; Subodh Chandra Sen Gupta (2000). Professor Subodh Chandra Sen Gupta: Scholar Extraordinary. Subodh Chandra Sengupta Foundation. p. vii.
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