302:
in Punjab after his release. He joined the
Communist Party in 1934 and became a member of the Congress Socialist Party in 1935. He was elected as the secretary of the Punjab State Kisan Sabha in 1938. The same year, he was externed from Punjab and went to Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh where he started a monthly paper, `Chingari’. He went underground after the outbreak of the second world war and was arrested in 1940. He was imprisoned in the notorious Lahore Red Fort where he was kept for three months in solitary confinement in terrible conditions. Later he was shifted to Deoli detention camp where he remained till 1944. During the partition, he tirelessly worked for communal harmony in violence-torn Punjab.
588:, which has uncanny resemblance to the life of Surjeet was written by Darshan Singh, a close associate of Surjeet. The novel remained unknown till it was printed by the mainstream media. The newspaper article sparked a flurry of coverage and it was then reported by most Indian newspapers. Though the author Darshan Singh claimed that the novel was not based on the life of Surjeet, he termed his novel "virtual reality". He did say that "novels have been written about American presidents without naming them". The main character is named Karam Singh Kirti, with Kirti meaning a worker in
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With his health declining, Surjeet was, for the first time, not included in the CPI(M) Politburo at the party's 19th congress in early April 2008. He was instead designated as
Special Invitee to the Central Committee. Surjeet died in New Delhi on 1 August 2008 of cardiac arrest. Surjeet, aged 92, had
301:
Surjeet began his revolutionary career influenced by the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh. He hoisted the tricolour in March 1932 at the district court in
Hoshiarpur at the age of 16. He was arrested and sent to a reformatory school for juvenile offenders. He came in touch with the early Communist pioneers
297:
The seven and a half decades-long political life of
Harkishan Singh Surjeet began with his staunch fight against British colonial rule. He played a pioneering role in developing the farmer's movement and the Communist Party in Punjab before emerging as a national leader of the Communist Party of
333:
He continued to rise within the party until he was elected
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPI(M) 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 communalism. He was instrumental in forming a number of
649:"Surjeet, who always sported a white turban, was also passionately opposed to the Sikh separatist campaign that bled Punjab for a decade until 1993. He led a spartan lifestyle and always wore simple, even crumpled clothes." M.R. Narayan Swamy and Monobina Gupta, Indo-Asian News Service:
1324:
253:
family in the village of
Bundala, Jalandhar district of Punjab. He started his political career in the national liberation movement in his early teens, as a follower of the revolutionary socialist
1339:
281:. 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. Although he sported a
1084:
592:- a term often used by the left wing in Punjab. The Communist Part of India (Marxist), with which Surjeet was affiliated, was unhappy at the description of Surjeet in the novel.
313:
laws. In the 1950s 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
341:
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.
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235:
97:
337:
After retiring from his post as
General Secretary, Surjeet continued to play an active role in Indian national politics. Many times, including after the 2004
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India and the All India Kisan Sabha. It culminated with his leading role in the CPI(M) for an eventful four decades.
305:
Just after independence, Surjeet was forced to go underground for four years. Several other communist leaders like
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anti-BJP coalitions in the 1990s and for ensuring left support the present UPA government.
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325:. Surjeet was one of the nine members of the original CPI(M) Polit Bureau.
254:
1290:
358:
Performance of
Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Lok Sabha elections
352:
306:
162:
1276:
1264:
1099:
1039:
1009:
651:'Harkishan Singh Surjeet - nationalist to Communist and then kingmaker
363:
338:
223:
1325:
Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Punjab, India
286:
154:
23:
282:
793:"Novel based on the life of CPM's Surjeet may kick up a storm"
1340:
General secretaries of the
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
346:
317:. He also worked in the Agricultural Workers Union. When the
186:
178:
35:
250:
247:
932:
353:
Lok Sabha Election Results under leadership of Surjeet
98:
Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
234:from 1992 to 2005 and was a member of the party's
241:
1306:
645:
643:
292:
246:Harkishan Singh Surjeet was born in 1916 in a
222:(23 March 1916 – 1 August 2008) was an Indian
918:
273:. In the pre-war years he started publishing
230:, who served as the General Secretary of the
847:"CPI-M upset over fiction targeting Surjeet"
841:
839:
640:
345:been convalescing at the Metro Hospital in
285:, throughout his life, Surjeet remained an
925:
911:
761:"LS Statistical Report : 2004 Vol. 1"
730:"LS Statistical Report : 1999 Vol. 1"
699:"LS Statistical Report : 1998 Vol. 1"
668:"LS Statistical Report : 1996 Vol. 1"
34:
836:
790:
657:, 1 August 2008 (accessed 1 August 2008).
1151:All India Democratic Women's Association
899:A Punjabi newspaper started by Surjeet.
629:Nine to none, founders’ era ends in CPM
110:7 November 1964 – 3 April 2008
16:Indian Communist politician (1916-2008)
1345:Rajya Sabha members from Punjab, India
1307:
753:
722:
691:
660:
623:
621:
619:
906:
873:
1181:Democratic Youth Federation of India
608:Communist Party of India (Marxist).
328:
791:Pal Singh, Bajinder (3 June 2008).
616:
13:
935:Communist Party of India (Marxist)
818:"Surjeet-Karat spat? It's fiction"
323:Communist Party of India (Marxist)
232:Communist Party of India (Marxist)
208:Communist Party of India (Marxist)
197:Communist Party of India (Marxist)
127:Communist Party of India (Marxist)
55:Communist Party of India (Marxist)
14:
1361:
890:
874:Singh, Darshan (10 August 2008).
584:A literary work in Punjab titled
876:"The conciliatory revolutionary"
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67:10 January 1992 – 11 April 2005
1350:People from Jalandhar district
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261:. In 1936, Surjeet joined the
242:Early life and pre-1947 career
1:
1191:Students' Federation of India
1171:Centre of Indian Trade Unions
595:
265:. He was a co-founder of the
769:Election Commission of India
738:Election Commission of India
707:Election Commission of India
676:Election Commission of India
7:
293:Role in the Communist Party
10:
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309:were arrested under the
263:Communist Party of India
1125:Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
962:Harkishan Singh Surjeet
611:Harkishan Singh Surjeet
257:and in 1930 joined his
220:Harkishan Singh Surjeet
28:Harkishan Singh Surjeet
1095:E. M. S. Namboodiripad
1005:S. Ramachandran Pillai
956:E. M. S. Namboodiripad
78:E. M. S. Namboodiripad
1161:All India Kisan Sabha
1144:Related organisations
1035:Kodiyeri Balakrishnan
315:All India Kisan Sabha
259:Naujawan Bharat Sabha
117:All India Kisan Sabha
627:Manini Chatterjee. "
349:since 25 July 2008.
311:preventive detention
269:(Farmer's Union) in
1130:V. S. Achuthanandan
943:General secretaries
855:. IANS. 7 June 2008
359:
238:from 1964 to 2008.
1258:Daily Desher Katha
1239:People's Democracy
1222:CPI(M) West Bengal
1105:Nripen Chakraborty
1045:Surja Kanta Mishra
357:
1300:
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986:Current Politburo
880:Mainstream Weekly
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329:General Secretary
319:CPI split in 1964
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51:General Secretary
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1135:Pinarayi Vijayan
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1086:Chief Ministers
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637:. 3 April 2008.
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1217:CPI(M) Tripura
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1212:CPI(M) Kerala
1210:
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1030:Hannan Mollah
1028:
1026:
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1000:Prakash Karat
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968:Prakash Karat
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824:. 4 June 2008
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772:. p. 101
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634:The Telegraph
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444:
441:
433:
430:
427:
419:
416:
413:
410:
408:
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396:
391:
389:Votes %
388:
385:
380:
377:
372:
367:
365:
362:
361:
350:
348:
342:
340:
336:
326:
324:
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316:
312:
308:
303:
299:
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288:
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268:
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183:Uttar Pradesh
180:
172:1 August 2008
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163:British India
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152:23 March 1916
144:
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131:
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125:
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115:President of
113:
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90:Prakash Karat
88:
82:
79:
76:
70:
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59:
56:
52:
48:
44:
37:
32:
25:
20:
1335:Former Sikhs
1302:
1289:
1282:
1275:
1270:
1263:
1256:
1251:Deshabhimani
1249:
1244:
1237:
1194:
1184:
1174:
1164:
1154:
1120:Manik Sarkar
1115:Dasarath Deb
1020:Brinda Karat
1015:Manik Sarkar
961:
879:
869:
859:20 September
857:. Retrieved
850:
828:20 September
826:. Retrieved
821:
812:
802:20 September
800:. Retrieved
796:
786:
774:. Retrieved
767:
755:
743:. Retrieved
741:. p. 92
736:
724:
712:. Retrieved
710:. p. 92
705:
693:
681:. Retrieved
679:. p. 93
674:
662:
654:
632:
609:
604:
585:
583:
394:vote %
343:
332:
304:
300:
296:
278:
275:Dukhi Duniya
274:
255:Bhagat Singh
245:
236:Polit Bureau
219:
218:
174:(2008-08-01)
123:Affiliations
105:
85:Succeeded by
62:
1320:2008 deaths
1315:1916 births
1291:Theekkathir
1245:The Marxist
1205:State Units
964:(1992–2005)
381:Net Change
307:A K Gopalan
283:Sikh turban
267:Kisan Sabha
73:Preceded by
1309:Categories
1277:Prajasakti
1265:Ganashakti
1231:Newspapers
1100:Jyoti Basu
1040:M. A. Baby
1010:Biman Bose
776:18 October
745:18 October
714:18 October
683:18 October
596:References
560:22,070,614
535:Fourteenth
516:19,695,767
491:Thirteenth
472:18,991,867
428:20,496,810
397:Reference
392:Change in
375:Contested
368:Lok Sabha
148:1916-03-23
1271:Lok Lahar
976:(2015–24)
970:(2005–15)
958:(1978–92)
952:(1964–78)
897:DeshSewak
383:in seats
364:Lok Sabha
339:Lok Sabha
224:Communist
203:Known for
106:In office
63:In office
797:LiveMint
403:Eleventh
279:Chingari
590:Punjabi
447:Twelfth
287:atheist
155:Bundala
53:of the
24:Comrade
571:0.26%
527:0.24%
483:0.96%
439:0.02%
386:Votes
373:Seats
271:Punjab
228:Punjab
159:Punjab
1155:AIDWA
764:(PDF)
733:(PDF)
702:(PDF)
671:(PDF)
586:Bhauu
580:Novel
563:5.66%
519:5.40%
475:5.16%
431:6.12%
347:Noida
187:India
179:Noida
1185:DYFI
1175:CITU
1165:AIKS
861:2024
830:2024
804:2024
778:2014
747:2014
716:2014
685:2014
539:2004
495:1999
451:1998
407:1996
378:Won
277:and
251:Sikh
169:Died
142:Born
1195:SFI
653:',
631:".
543:543
499:543
455:543
411:543
248:Jat
1311::
878:.
849:.
838:^
820:.
795:.
766:.
735:.
704:.
673:.
642:^
618:^
557:10
549:43
546:69
537:,
513:01
505:33
502:72
493:,
469:00
461:32
458:71
449:,
425:03
417:32
414:75
405:,
289:.
185:,
181:,
161:,
157:,
1197:)
1193:(
1187:)
1183:(
1177:)
1173:(
1167:)
1163:(
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1153:(
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146:(
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