Harkishan Singh Surjeet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Harkishen Singh Surjeet |
||
| Born | 23 March 1916 Jalandar, Punjab |
|
|---|---|---|
| Residence | New Delhi | |
| Office | General Secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist) | |
| Successor | Prakash Karat | |
| Political party | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | |
| Religion | Atheist | |
| Website: www.cpim.org | ||
|
As of January 27, 2007 |
||
Harkishan Singh Surjeet (born 23 March 1916) is a communist politician from Punjab, India. He was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) until 2005. He is still a member of the Polit Bureau of the party.
[edit] Pre-1947 Career
Born to a Bassi Jat family in Badala, Jullundhur district, Surjeet started his political career in the national liberation movement in his early teens, as a follower of Bhagat Singh. In 1930 he joined the movement of Bhagat Singh, Naujawan Bharat Sabha. On the anniversary of the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Surjeet hoisted the Indian tricolour at the court in Hoshiarpur, an action during which he was shot two times. Later he was punished by the colonial regime. In court he stated his name as London Tod Singh (one who breaks London). In 1936, Surjeet joined Communist Party of India. He was a co-founder of the Kisan Sabha (Peasants Union) in Punjab. In the pre-war years he started publishing Dukhi Duniya and Chingari. During the war, Surjeet was imprisoned by the colonial authorities. When India became independent and partitioned in 1947, Surjeet was the Secretary of CPI in Punjab.
[edit] Split in the Communist Party
Just after independence, Surjeet was forced to go underground for four years [2]. Several other communist leaders like A K Gopalan were arrested under the preventive detention laws. In the 1950's he led the historic anti-betterment levy movement in Punjab in 1959. His work with farmers led to his election as General Secretary and then President of the All India Kisan Sabha. He also worked d in the Agricultural Workers Union. When CPI split in 1964, Surjeet sided with Communist Party of India (Marxist). Surjeet was a member of the original CPI(M) Polit Bureau.
[edit] General Secretary
He continued to rise within the party till he was elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India in 1992, a post he held till 2005, retiring at the age of 89. Surjeet is known for his steadfast opposition to the BJP and of communalism. He had been instrumental in forming a number of anti-BJP coalitions in the 1990's and for ensuring left support the present UPA government [3] Today, despite his age, Surjeet is playing an active role in Indian national politics. Many times, including after the 2004 Lok Sabha election and during the 1996-1998 United Front government, his role has been that of a cunning king-maker in parliamentary politics, mending and assembling broad coalitions.
