Indian politician
Geeta Mukherjee
|
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|
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In office
16 January 1980 ? 4 March 2000
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Preceded by
| Abha Maiti
|
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Succeeded by
| Bikram Sarkar
|
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|
In office
1967?1977
|
Preceded by
| Rajani Kanta Pramanik
|
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Succeeded by
| Swadesh Ranjan Maji
|
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Constituency
| Panskura Purba
|
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|
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Born
| Geeta Roy Chowdhury
(
1924-01-08
)
8 January 1924
Calcutta
,
Bengal Province
,
British India
|
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Died
| 4 March 2000
(2000-03-04)
(aged 76)
New Delhi
,
India
|
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Political party
| Communist Party of India
|
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Spouse
| Biswanath Mukherjee
|
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Children
| Bhagabat Jana
|
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Relatives
| Madhumita Jana (Grandchildren)
|
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Residence(s)
| Flat-12, Block-D, 18, Bow Street,
Calcutta-700012
Bow Bazar
,
Kolkata
|
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Alma mater
| University of Calcutta
Ashutosh College
(
B.A.
)
|
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Profession
| Politician, social worker, writer
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Geeta Mukherjee
(8 January 1924 ? 4 March 2000) was an Indian politician and social worker and a four times
MLA
from
Panskura Purba
, from 1967 to 1977. As a Member of Parliament, she was elected seven times from the
Panskura
constituency, from 1980 to 2000, in the Indian state of
West Bengal
being a
Communist Party of India
(CPI) candidate.
[1]
She also remained the president of
National Federation of Indian Women
, women's wing of Communist Party of India. She led the demand for the legislature of 1/3rd reservation for women in parliamentary elections in India.
[2]
Early life and education
[
edit
]
She was born on 8 January 1924 in
Calcutta
, West Bengal. She was married to
Biswanath Mukherjee
on 8 November 1942.
[1]
Mukherjee completed Bachelor of Arts In
Bengali Literature
from
Ashutosh College
,
Calcutta
. She remained secretary of
Bengal Provincial Students Federation
from 1947 to 1951.
[2]
Career
[
edit
]
She was first elected as Member, State Council, Communist Party of India (C.P.I.), Bengal in 1946.
[1]
Popularly known as Geetadi, Geeta Mukherjee since then won every Lok Sabha election from
Panskura
in West Bengal, and was in the forefront till her death in 2000.
[2]
She was elected to 7th Lok Sabha in 1980 and during 1980?84, she served as
- Member, Committee on Public Undertakings
- Member, Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
- Member, Joint Committee on Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 1980
Since 1981 onwards, she was the Member of National Executive Council,
Communist Party of India
.
[1]
She was elected to her 7th term during the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999.
[1]
Her career spanned about five and half decades. However, it was her role in the women's reservation issue which brought her into the limelight. She was also a member of the National Commission on Rural Labour, National Commission on Women, National Children's Board, Press Council and vice-president of the National Federation of Women, besides being a secretariat member of the Women's International Democratic Federation, Berlin.
[3]
She led a Joint Parliamentary Committee which had drafted the
Women's Reservation Bill
.
Besides her political career, she also wrote a few books for children, including
Bharat Upakatha
(Folktales of India),
Chotoder Rabindranath
(Tagore for Children)and
He Atit Katha Kao
; and translated
Bruno Apitz
's 1958 classic
Naked Among Wolves
to Bengali.
[2]
[4]
Death
[
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]
Mukherjee died on 4 March 2000, following a massive heart-attack. At the time of death, she was 76 years old.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
, the then Prime Minister of India, told in his condolence message? "Mrs. Mukherjee embodied determination and dedication. She was a shining example of
women's empowerment
. Her life shall remain an inspiration for future generations, especially women."
[2]
References
[
edit
]