The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) deeply mourns the death of Comrade Kanti Biswas , a veteran Communist leader, Chairman of the West Bengal CPI(M) State Control Commission, expired on the night of April 27 after a month’s treatment in a hospital in Kolkata. He was 84 years old.
Comrade Biswas was born in a poor peasant family of Faridpur in undivided Bengal. He was a brilliant student and later started to teach in a college in the then East Pakistan. He was associated with Communists in East Pakistan and a police warrant was issued against him. He came to India in 1960 and started working as teacher in a school in Banga in 24 Parganas. He earned CPI(M) membership in 1967. He was associated with the activities of Kisan Sabha, UCRC and DYF. Comrade Biswas was elected to the state assembly as a CPI(M) candidate from Gaighata in 1977. He became the minister in charge of youth services in First Left Front government (1977 to 1982). Later he served as minister of school education in successive Left Front governments from 1982 till 2006. He, thus, became the longest serving Primary Education Minister in any state government in the country. He was elected to CPI(M) state committee in 1981. In 2012, he was elected as Chairman of Party’s state control commission and continued to discharge this responsibility till death. Comrade Biswas was attached with the Party in North 24 Parganas district.
Comrade Biswas was associated with the movement and organizations of Dalits and backward sections of the society. He was President of Samajik Naya Mancha in West Bengal.
Comrade Biswas left his son and a daughter. The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) conveys its deep condolences to Comrade Kanti Biswas’s son and daughter.