Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan (24 September 1924 – 2 January 2016) was a trade union leader and the former

general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the

Communist Party of India Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925. H ...

(CPI), one of the oldest political parties in India.

Early life

Bardhan was born in Barisal, Bengal Presidency, British India (now Bangladesh) on 24 September 1924. He embraced Communism at the age of 15 after he moved to Nagpur. He joined the

All India Students Federation The All India Students' Federation (AISF) is the oldest surviving student organisation in India, founded in 1936. Pre-independence AISF was founded on 12 August 1936, with guidance and cooperation from the Indian independence movement. The ...

at the

Nagpur University Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU), formerly Nagpur University, is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is one of India's oldest universities, as well as th ...

in 1940. He joined the

(which was then banned), the same year. He served as the President of the Nagpur University Students' Union. He became a full-time student organizer, while continuing his studies, and in 1945 he was elected the Secretary of AISF. Bardhan held a postgraduate degree in economics and a degree in law.

Trade unionism and politics

Bardhan worked with workers ranging from various sectors like textile, electricity, railways, defence etc. He contested several elections from Nagpur but was elected only once to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1957 as an independent candidate. He was also instrumental in the integration of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

that led to its creation on 1 May 1960. Bardhan entered national politics and moved to Delhi. He became the General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress in 1994 and became the Deputy General Secretary of the

in 1995. When Indrajit Gupta joined the United Front government as the

Minister of Home Affairs (India) The Minister of Home Affairs (or simply, the Home Minister, short-form HM) is the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. One of the senior-most officers in the Union Cabinet, the chief responsibility of the Home Minist ...

, Bardhan succeeded him as the General Secretary of the

following Gupta's resignation from the post of party's General Secretary. Bardhan served as the party's General Secretary from 1996 to 2012. He is remembered for the campaign he initiated in response to Lal Krishna Advani’s ''Rath Yatra''. Bardhan always supported the cause of a secular India. Bardhan played a key role in the formation of the United Progressive Alliance government which was supported by the

. Bardhan was also among those who supported the candidature of Pratibha Patil, then Governor of Rajasthan, to the coveted post of the President of India.

Personal life

Bardhan married Padma, who was a teacher in Saraswati Vidyalaya Higher Secondary School, Shankar Nagar, Nagpur. They got a son Ashok and a daughter Alka Barua. Padma died in 1986. After her death, Bardhan spent his life in a small room at Ajoy Bhavan, the headquarters of CPI in Delhi. Bardhan was fluent in

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

, Bengali, Urdu, Hindi and English languages. Bardhan had a brother-like relation with the veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader

Sumatitai Sukaklikar Sumati Suklikar (24 December 1923 - 22 February 2011), known variously using Tai or Bai honorifics as Sumatitai or Sumatibai or Tai Sukalikar, was an Indian politician. She was a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party and its precursor Bharatiya Jana ...

from Nagpur. Although they contested elections against each other, Sumatitai was like an elder sister to Bardhan.

Death

Bardhan suffered a paralytic

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

in December 2015. He was admitted to the hospital. He died, aged 91, on 2 January 2016 at the Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital in New Delhi. His death was condoled by many including the President of India Pranab Mukherjee,

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

Narendra Modi and Congress President

Sonia Gandhi Sonia Gandhi ('' née'' Maino; born 9 December 1946) is an Indian politician. She is the longest serving president of the Indian National Congress, a social democratic political party, which has governed India for most of its post-independ ...

Works

A.B. Bardhan wrote many books, such as: * Debate on reservation * Class, Caste Reservation & Struggle Against Casteism * 80 CPI * Generalists, specialists and the working class * The tribal problem in India * India's Freedom Struggle: Several Streams * Hutatma Bhagat Singh * Prejudices & myths that feed communalism x-rayed * Reforms 2020: Last 20 Years, Next 20 Years

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bardhan, Ardhendu Bhushan 1924 births 2016 deaths Leaders of political parties in India Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University alumni Communist Party of India politicians from Maharashtra Maharashtra politicians People from Nagpur district People from Barisal District