Subrata Mukherjee (14 June 1946 – 4 November 2021) was an Indian politician who was cabinet minister of the government of West Bengal and sitting member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly. He was a member of All India Trinamool Congress. He was also the 35th Mayor of Kolkata from 2000 to 2005.[1][2]
Subrata Mukherjee | |
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 | |
| Cabinet Minister, Government of West Bengal | |
| In office 20 May 2011 – 4 November 2021 | |
| President | Ekdalia Evergreen Club, Kolkata (1971— 2021) |
| Chief Minister | Mamata Banerjee |
| Department |
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| Preceded by |
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| In office 2 April 1972 – 21 June 1977 | |
| Chief minister | Siddhartha Shankar Ray |
| Department |
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| Succeeded by | Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee |
| Constituency | Ballygunge |
| Member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 13 May 2011 – 4 November 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Ahmed Javed Khan |
| Succeeded by | Babul Supriyo |
| Constituency | Ballygunge |
| In office 1996–2006 | |
| Preceded by | Anil Chatterjee |
| Succeeded by | Subrata Bakshi |
| Constituency | Chowranghee |
| In office 1982–1996 | |
| Preceded by | Haripada Bharati |
| Succeeded by | Sanjoy Bakshi |
| Constituency | Jorabagan |
| In office 1971–1977 | |
| Preceded by | Jyotibhushan Bhattacharya |
| Succeeded by | Sachin Sen |
| Constituency | Ballygunge |
| 35th Mayor of Kolkata | |
| In office 12 July 2000 – 5 July 2005 | |
| Deputy | Meena Devi Purohit |
| Preceded by | Prasanta Chattopadhyay |
| Succeeded by | Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya |
| Constituency | Ward No. 87 |
| Pro-tem Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 3 May 2021 – 8 May 2021 | |
| Governor | Jagdeep Dhankhar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 June 1946 Sarangabad, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Died | 4 November 2021 (aged 75) Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Political party | All India Trinamool Congress (1999–2005) (2009–2021) |
| Other political affiliations | Indian National Congress (1969–1999), (2005–2009) Nationalist Congress Party (2005) |
| Spouse | Chhandabani Mukherjee |
| Parent | Ashok Mukherjee |
| Residence(s) | Santosh Garden, 8 Ekdalia Road Kolkata-700019 |
| Alma mater | BSc in anthropology (Bangabasi College)
MSc in archaeology (University of Calcutta) PGD in Museology (University of Calcutta) PgCert in Cultural Anthropology (SOAS University of London) |
Political career
editCareer with Indian National Congress
editMukherjee started his political career as a student activist during his higher education in Kolkata. He joined the Chhatra Parishad, a student organisation affiliated to the Indian National Congress, in the 1960s. During this period he made the acquaintance of Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.[3]
Mukherjee was considered one of the two close aides of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, along with Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi. CPIM leaders used a slogan "Indirar dui putra Priyo Ranjan o Subrata" (transl. Indira's two sons Priya Ranjan and Subrata).
In 1971 and 1972, Mukherjee was elected to the legislative assembly from the Ballygunge Assembly constituency. In 1972, he was appointed Minister of State in the Siddhartha Shankar Ray ministry as Minister of Information and Cultural Affairs. He also held an additional responsibility as Minister of State for local government.
He lost the Ballygunge Assembly constituency when the Congress party was defeated by the Left Front amid huge anti-incumbency voting patterns. In 1982, he shifted to the Jorabagan Assembly constituency and represented it till 1996. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Chowranghee in 1996 and 2001.
Career with All India Trinamool Congress
editIn 1999, he joined with Mamata Banerjee, parting ways with the Indian National Congress.[4] This decision came from the Congress MLA, as INTUC denied him the nomination to the governing body of the ILO for the second term.[5] He was made the Mayor of Kolkata in 2000, as a Trinamool Congress candidate. However, even after being the Mayor as a Trinamool leader, he decided not to resign as a Congress member of the Legislative Assembly.[6] As Mayor, he had planned a 300 ft-high Kolkata gate on EM Bypass, which would have cost Rs. 20-crore.[7] However, the project could not go ahead, as it could not obtain clearance from the Pollution Control Board.
Mukherjee was also elected to the Assembly on a Trinamool Congress ticket in 2001 from Chowrighee. He also contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 from Calcutta North West constituency, but lost.
Polls of Kolkata Municipal Corporation
editAhead of the civic polls in 2005, Mukherjee quit Trinamool Congress following differences with the party chief, and joined the Nationalist Congress Party. He was able to cobble up an alliance with Congress and several marginal players under the platform of Paschimbanga Unnayan Mancha. Although he was able to get elected to the corporation, his front suffered a humiliating defeat.
Even after leaving Trinamool Congress, he did not resign as a Trinamool member in the legislative assembly until the end of its term in 2006.
Later career
editIn the 2006 state elections, he came third in the Chowranghee seat as a Congress candidate. In 2006, the Congress had also fielded Mukherjee for the biennial election for a Rajya Sabha seat, but he failed to win.
In 2009, he fought from Bankura Lok Sabha constituency on the Congress ticket and lost.
In May 2010, Mukherjee left the Indian National Congress again and rejoined Trinamool Congress, leaving the post of Pradesh Congress Working President.[8] He contested the 2011 Assembly elections from the Ballygunge seat.
Cabinet Minister
edit
In 2011, after the Trinamool Congress won a majority in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, he was made Minister for Public Health Engineering under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. In December 2011, he was given the additional charge of Panchayati Raj & Rural Development ministry, and replaced Chandranath Sinha.[9]
In February 2012, he was made the All India President of the INTTUC, instead of Sobhandeb Chatterjee.[10] In the 2019 Loksabha elections, he fought from Bankura and lost to Subhas Sarkar of the BJP. He won with huge margin in 2021 vidhan sabha election from Ballygunge.
Controversies
editOn 17 May 2021, Mukherjee, along with senior minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet Firad Hakim, MLA and former minister Madan Mitra and former Mayor of Kolkata Sovan Chatterjee were arrested by Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the Narada sting operation.[11]
Death
editHe was hospitalised in SSKM Hospital, Kolkata on 24 October 2021 with serious heart problems and died of a heart attack on 4 November 2021 at the age of 75.[12][13][14] He was cremated with full state honors at Keoratola crematorium the following day.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Subrata Mukherjee: A man for all seasons". Press Trust of India. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ রায়, অমিত. "Subrata mukherjee Death: ২৬ বছর বয়সে মন্ত্রী, ইন্দিরার প্রিয়পাত্র, প্রিয়র ডানহাত, মমতার সঙ্গে আড়ি-ভাব-আড়ি-ভাব". Anandabazar Patrika. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ Mitra, Atri (13 April 2021). "Subrata Mukherjee: Veteran TMC leader with friends from Indira to Jyotibabu". The Indian Express. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ West Bengal Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee joins Trinamool Congress: NATION, India Today; accessed 2 November 2015.
- ^ today.intoday.in/story/denied-ilo-nomination-bengal-congress-leader-subrata-mukherjee-joins-mamatas-party/1/255285.html Denied ILO nomination, Bengal Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee joins Mamata's party: INDIASCOPE Archived 15 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, India Today; accessed 2 November 2015.
- ^ Profile, expressindia.indianexpress.com; accessed 2 November 2015.
- ^ Kolkata Gate may have to be shelved: Mayor – The Times of India
- ^ Subrata Mukherjee joins Trinamool, hindustantimes.com; accessed 2 November 2015.
- ^ Subrata new strongman in Didi's Cabinet, The Times of India; accessed 2 November 2015.
- ^ Subrata replaces Sobhandeb as INTTUC head, The Times of India; accessed 2 November 2015.
- ^ "Narada bribery case: 2 ministers, 1 MLA arrested, Mamata rushes to CBI office". Indian Express. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Ailing Bengal minister Subrata Mukherjee dies at 75". The Indian Express. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ সংবাদদাতা, নিজস্ব. "Subrata Mukherjee Death: দীপাবলিতে অন্ধকারে বাংলার রাজনীতি, প্রিয়, সোমেনের পর প্রয়াত 'ত্রয়ী'র শেষ সদস্যও". Anandabazar Patrika. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ "TMC के वरिष्ठ नेता सुब्रत मुखर्जी का हार्ट अटैक से निधन, ममता बनर्जी ने कहा- ये बहुत बड़ी क्षति". Aaj Tak (in Hindi). Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ "TMC veteran Subrata Mukherjee cremated with full state honours". India Today. Retrieved 6 November 2021.