Nirupam Sen, a stalwart of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Industry Minister of West Bengal from 2001 to 2011, passed away after a prolonged illness on December 24. He was 72. Not only was he one of the tallest and most charismatic leaders of his time, he was also the key architect of investment-starved West Bengal’s industrial drive during his tenure as Industries Minister.
Born on October 8, 1946 in Gobindapur, Bardhaman district, Sen was drawn to the Communist movement at a young age. With his engaging personality and his gift of speech, he was a popular student leader and became a member of the CPI(M) while still a student.
After his graduation, Sen worked for a while as a teacher before becoming a whole-time member of the party in 1968. The politically volatile period of the 1960s and 1970s saw Sen working tirelessly in workers’ and peasant movements. Under his leadership and influence, Bardhaman district became a CPI(M) bastion.
In 1985, he became a member of the CPI(M) State Committee and in 1987 was elected to the Legislative Assembly from the Bardhaman Town constituency. After his first stint in the Vidhan Sabha, Sen went back to organisational work. He would return to the Assembly 14 years later in 2001. Meanwhile, in 1995, he became a member of the CPI(M) State secretariat and three years later, he was elected to the central committee of the party. In 2008, he became a member of the Polit Bureau.
After winning the Assembly elections in 2001, this time from Bardhaman Dakshin (South), Sen was given the Industries portfolio in the Buddhadev Bhattacharjee government. Realising West Bengal’s need of the hour was industrialisation, Sen, along with the Chief Minister, embarked on a journey he hoped would result in the industrial resurgence of the State. But that was not to be. After returning to power in 2006 with an overwhelming majority, the seemingly invincible CPI(M)-led Left Front government faced a hurdle in Tata Motors’ project in Singur. The Tata Small Car Factory, which was expected to change the future of West Bengal, became a symbol of a resistance movement led by Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee against the acquisition of land for industrial purposes.
The prolonged and violent protest staged by Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress led to the departure of the prestigious project from the State and paved the way for a change of government in 2011. “Nirupam Sen’s dream of building a vibrant industrial Bengal died with the failure in Singur. It hurt him deeply. It hurt us all,” said a source in the CPI(M).
Sen was also an outstanding speaker and teacher. “In the classes conductrd by the party, he was one of the best teachers. We would throng the hall to hear him speak. He had such a fantastic grasp on his subject and the manner in which he expressed himself was truly inspirational,” said Arup Banerjee, one of Sen’s followers.
Even when the CPI(M) was facing one political blow after another, and he faced criticism from both the opposition and from a section within his own party, Sen never lost his sangfroid. In his condolence message, Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) general secretary, wrote: “Lal Salam, Comrade Nirupam Sen…. A dedicated communist who devoted his entire life to the cause of the working class and the peasantry.”
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