Sudhindranath Kumar
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Sudhindranath Kumar (1918-1984) was an Indian politician, belonging to the Revolutionary Communist Party of India. He served as general secretary of the party 1960–1984, represented Howrah Central constituency in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and served as Food Minister of the state in 1969 and 1977–1982.
Kumar was born into a Calcutta middle class family in 1918.[1] He studied Law, and obtained a master's degree in 1940.[1] As an undergraduate student he joined the RCPI and was active in its Students Front.[1] He held vatious posts in the Bengal Provincial Students Federation and the All India Students Federation.[1] Upon graduation from university, he became a full-time political organiser rather than working as a lawyer.[1]
World War II and prison years
In the midst of World War II, Kumar went underground.[1] He was imprisoned during the 1942 Quit India struggle, and would be released only at the end of the war.[1] He contracted tuberculosis in prison.[1]
Howrah conference
United Front period
Kumar served as convenor of the United Front formed ahead of the 1967 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.[5][6][7] During the protests against the dismissal of the first United Front cabinet in 1967, Kumar was arrested under the Preventive Detention Act.[8][6] After the 1969 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election Kumar was named Food and Supplies Minister in the second United Front state government.[5][9][10] The Food Minister had been given to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the coalition government, but CPI(M) opted to name Kumar as its choice for the post.[11] Kumar was seen as a CPI(M) protege at the time, Himmat magazine referred to him as the 'blue-eyed boy of Jyoti Basu'.[12][13]
First tenure as Food Minister
Kumar's tenure as minister was short and turbulent. The two elected RCPI state legislators, Anadi Das and M. Mokshed Ali, accused Kumar of having tried to coerce them to resign in order for Kumar to be able to contest their seats in a by-poll.[14][15] In July 1969 Kumar expelled both of the RCPI legislators from RCPI, creating a split in the party.[5] Around the same time two United Front member parties, the All India Forward Bloc and the Socialist Unity Centre of India, demanded Kumar's resignation.[16] A June 1969 edition of Himmat reported that Kumar was about to lose his ministerial post.[12] As the West Bengal Legislative Council was abolished in August 1969 (to which Kumar, in theory, had a chance to get elected) and none of the elected legislators had been willing to resign to enable Kumar to get elected, Kumar was forced to resign from his ministerial post.[17]