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1 Remarks of Dr. Manmohan Singh, Former Prime Minister on the occasion of the Memorial Meeting for Com. Gurudas Dasgupta at Ajoy Bhawan, New Delhi on Sunday 18th November, 2019 I am happy to be among all of you to participate in the Memorial Meeting of one of the power voice of the Left parties in the Parliament, Shri Gurudas Dasgupta. I had the privilege of knowing Shri Dasgupta for a long time. Though we belonged to different ideologies, Shri Dasgupta always impressed me as a committed nationalist, dedicated to the Constitution and its Republican values. The Memorial Meeting for Shri Gurudas Dasgupta is an occasion for us to reflect on his immense contribution in enriching our democracy. We remember Shri Dasgupta as an outstanding Parliamentarian. Through his exceptional oratory style he was able to present the problems being faced by the poor and labour classes, cutting across political parties. When he spoke the Opposition and Treasury benches listened very carefully. He was a doyen of the trade union movement in the country and a pioneer in bringing together different trade unions on a single platform to put up a united front against a common enemy. In his absence the Communist movement as well as our country has lost one of its most dedicated and well loved leader who has dedicated his whole life to the struggle for the rights of the poor and the oppressed. A remarkable quality of Shri Dasgupta was that he was never obsessed by the trappings of power. He valued the role of an Opposition, preferring consensus over confrontation. It is the beauty of our democracy that despite being an ideological opponent of Shri Dasgupta, we are able to come together to commemorate his service to the nation. Shri Dasgupta was an outstanding Parliamentatian, who served five terms, three terms as Member of Rajya Sabha and two terms as elected Member of Lok Sabha . A fiery orator, he was always a true leader for raising issues concerning the masses and the working class both inside and outside Parliament. His leadership is evident from the fact that when he took over as the general secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress, he transformed it from a lesser known trade union into a major trade union 2 front of the country. During his tenure as the general secretary of AITUC, he led many struggles of the trade unions and played a major role in uniting the various trade unions in favour of the urgent demands of the workers. He was a pillar of strength to the trade unions in banking, insurance and oil industry. There is tremendous power in simplicity and humility, which we often don’t realise. He was admired and respected across Party lines. He was a strong voice in Parliament. Unlike many of his Party colleagues, Dasgupta kept his associations open for his adversaries too and never hesitated to meet any opposition leader for floor coordination in Parliament. True to his Bolshevik Puritanism, Comrade Gurudas Dasgupta lead a Spartan life but harboured rich ideas and principles. He hated self publicity and glorification. Such leaders are rare today. In his death our country has lost a great orator, renowned trade unionist, an able administrator and a seasoned Parliamentarian. His service and contribution to the nation as an advocate for the poor and downtrodden people of the society will always be remembered. ******* .

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