Harkishan Singh Surjeet (23 March 1916 – 1 August 2008) was a communist politician from Punjab, India. He was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from 1992 to 2005 and was a member of the partys Political Bureau from 1964 to 2008 • … as a follower of Bhagat Singh. In 1930 he joined the movement of Bhagat Singh, Naujawan Bharat Sabha. …. • In 1936, Surjeet joined the Communist Party of India…… • Although he sported a Sikh turban, throughout his life, Surjeet remained an atheist • During the partition, he tirelessly worked for communal harmony in violence-torn Punjab • When the CPI split in 1964, Surjeet sided with the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Surjeet was one of the nine members of the original CPI(M) Polit Bureau • In common with the pioneering Communist leaders, Surjeet displayed amply the capacity to sacrifice and undergo difficulties. He spent ten years in jail, of which eight were in the pre-independence period; he also spent eight years underground • Surjeet was one of the leaders who fought against revisionism and constituted the core of the leadership who went on to form the CPI(M). His deep experience in developing the peasant movement and building the Party led him to shun Left sectarian positions whenever such deviations arose in the Communist movement • Harkishan Singh Surjeet made a key contribution to the Party’s programmatic and tactical policies. He was a master tactician who could translate the Party’s political line into practice, implementing it with great skill and innovation • His firm stance and leadership in fighting against Khalistani terrorism in Punjab and the sacrifice made by over 200 Communists in fighting extremism constitutes a glorious chapter • He played a role in the evolution of the Assam Accord in the eighties • Surjeet looked at all issues of national unity from a democratic and secular standpoint • He made a notable contribution to the solidarity activities during the Vietnam liberation struggle, the Palestinian movement and the Cuba solidarity campaign. • Surjeet is known for his steadfast opposition to the BJP and communalism. He was a lifelong fighter against communalism. He was one of the first leaders who recognized the threat posed by the rise of the communal forces to the secular principle of the Indian State. Many times, including after the 2004 Lok Sabha 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. • Surjeet played an important role in making the CPI(M) the largest contingent of the Left movement in the country. • Surjeet died in New Delhi on August 1, 2008 of cardiac arrest. Surjeet, aged 92,
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 09:01:49 +0000
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