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Rabi Banerjee
Rabi Banerjee

PASSING

Diminutive giant

Loved even by his political opponents, Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi was the chief minister West Bengal never had

44-Priya-Ranjan-Dasmunsi Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi November 13, 1945-November 20, 2017 | Salil Bera

Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi was probably the shortest of all Bengali politicians, but in political stature, he was among the tallest. He was quite young when his eloquence and charisma were noticed by Indira Gandhi, who in the 1971 offered him the South Calcutta Lok Sabha seat; he wrested the seat from the left. Dasmunsi was also close to Rajiv Gandhi, who inducted him into his council of ministers.

When Pranab Mukherjee left the Congress following a tiff with Rajiv, Dasmunsi filled the void. But when Pranab returned, he was more than happy to cede space to the senior leader. Dasmunsi was close to Sonia Gandhi as well. But he never used his proximity to the Gandhis for any personal advantage.

In 2005, when I was a young reporter, I went to interview him. “Don’t ask your main question in the beginning,” he told me. “It will damage your interview.” But I did not listen to him, and he was furious. “Don’t you know that I am your minister? I can report this to your editor.” “My minister?” I asked. “Yes. I am the information and broadcasting minister,” he said.

When Congress president Sitaram Kesri withdrew support to the Deve Gowda government in 1997, the Congress was divided. Most senior leaders ignored Kesri’s directive to speak in support of the no-confidence motion. Finally, it was Dasmunsi who came to Kesri’s rescue. He was particularly severe on foreign minister I.K. Gujral. He tore into the soft-spoken Gujral, targeting his commitment to the non-alignment policy even as the senior minister sat flummoxed.

Born in a middle class family in Dinajpur (now in Bangladesh) in 1945, Dasmunsi came to Kolkata for higher studies. As a student leader, he opposed all shades of leftism, including the extremist Naxalite version and the parliamentary avatar represented by parties like the CPI(M). But he enjoyed good personal relations with most left leaders.

Dasmunsi mentored several politicians including Somen Mitra and Mamata Banerjee. “I am indebted to him,” said Mitra. “He taught me the nuances of politics.” West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, too, has fond memories of Dasmunsi. “We have no existence without Priyada. Whatever we are today is because of him.”

It was Dasmunsi who brought Mamata to the political mainstream. In 1980, when the All India Congress Committee meeting was held in Kolkata, senior leader Kamalapati Tripathy wanted a Brahmin who could cook for him. Indira Gandhi sought Dasmunsi’s help, and he found Mamata, who was then a student leader. Dasmunsi later introduced her to Indira.

With Dasmunsi as state Congress chief, Mamata’s political career blossomed. In 1989, when Rajiv Gandhi wanted someone to take on CPI(M) stalwart Somnath Chatterjee, Dasmunsi proposed Mamata’s name. Her upset victory was a turning point. Dasmunsi was hurt when Mamata quit the Congress. Still, he maintained cordial ties with her.

The duo met after many years in 2006 when Mamata was beaten up by policemen who tried to stop her from entering Singur. Seeing Dasmunsi, Mamata broke down. “Priyada, they beat me so badly,” she told him. “They tore my sari. I cannot pursue politics here.” Dasmunsi consoled her. “Mark my words, you will see victory one day,” he told her.

But when he died on November 20, Mamata did not turn up to pay her respects. Perhaps for her, and millions of Bengalis, Dasmunsi’s death must have come as a relief. Their beloved Priyada had been in a vegetative state for nine years following a stroke. It was a testament to his popularity that the Manmohan Singh government and later the Narendra Modi government never hesitated to fund his treatment.

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