Leader's Profile

Monoranjan Roy was born on October in 1909 at Kuanpur village in the district of Faridpur (now in Bangladesh). His father was Aswani Kumar Roy and mother was Labnya Prova Roy.

His father was an employee of excise department. Since he was in transferable job he had to go from district to district. As a result Monoranjan had to go from district to district with his father.

He spent his school & college life in various districts such as Chittagong, Rangpur, Dacca (now in Bangladesh), Jalpaiguri, Calcutta etc. He studied in J.M. Sen school, Collegiate School of Chittagong, Jubilee School of Dacca. Hare school of Calcutta – He passed the Matriculation Examination in 1925. He studied in Bangabasi College of Calcutta in science stream and passed the B.Sc. Examination in 1929 from Government College of Chittagong. Then he came to Calcutta and started studying M.Sc. Presidency College. His subject was Chemistry. Subsequently he passed the three parts of Law Examination from Deolijail in 1933, 1934, 1935.

His political life was eventful. He was in Jugantar Party, Congress Labour Party, Bolshevik Party, Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist).

His political life started in Chittagong at the age of 11. In 1920, when he was a school student, he went to listen the lecture of Gandhiji. Actually Rashbihari Ghosh inspired him to attend the meeting. He joined the Jugantar Party (a revolutionary group) in 1930. He came in contact with Masterda (Surya Sen) in early part of 1928. On his advice he came to Calcutta for higher studies and to Co-ordinate and organise the revolutionary forces in Calcutta. In November 1930, he was arrested. He was kept in Presidency Jail as detenu. To put mental pressure on him subsequently, he was sent back to Barrackpore jail for extraction of more information of Masterda, but failed. After some time he was transferred to Hijli jail (Midnapur). Here he came in contact with some political prisoners who were avid readers of Marxism. On June 22, 1932, he was sent to Deoli jail, Rajasthan. Here he continued his studies of Marxism against the opposition of Anusilan groups, Jugantar groups and Bengal volunteer groups. In 1935, he along with other political prisoners declared himself as Communist. In the early part of 1937 he became seriously ill. So he was shifted to Deoli Hospital. In March, 1937, he was sent back to Presidency Jail for treatment. In july 1937, for release of political prisoners movement was started in different parts of Bengal. In all jails political prisoners started Hunger Strike which continued for 15 days when the then Home Minister of the state came and assured them for their release. On his assurance the Hunger Strike was called off. After some days he was released from the jail but was kept house arrest in his Calcutta house up to September 1938. In the first week of January he got the order of his release. In March 1938 he acquired the membership of Communist Party of India. He went to the office of Congress Socialist Party located at Mirzapur Street (now Surya Sen Street). His prayer for membership of CSP was turned down because of his Communist background. In the organisational election of Congress during this time he contested for both District Committees seat as well as for Provincial Committee’s seat. He won the first seat only in 1939, He joined the labour party & subsequently in 1944, he came back to the CPI.

He was a good organiser. For building party organisation he was sent to Assam, Bihar and U.P. in different time.

In 1938, he worked for some time as an assistant editor of the Hindusthan Standard (English daily published from Calcutta). He also worked for sometime in the Amrita Bazar Patrika.

In the 3rd week of January 1938 he, with an introduction letter from Com Panchu Gopal Bhaduri, went to the office of Dock Lobour Mazdoor Union, 4/1, Bhukailash Rd. Khidirpur, and started to work there from that date. In 1940, when he came back to CPI he was sent to work in Calcutta Corporation workers’ Union. After some time he was sent to the office of the Peoples Relief Com. (PRC) for relief work.

In 1945 he was sent to Titagarh for building workers organisation there. During the assembly election of 1946 he was sent to Chitagong in the middle of March 1946. The central election committee of the district sent him to Coxbazar subdivision.

From the middle of 1946 he was sent to the BPTUC office and started to work as an assistant to Com Nirode Chaudhury.

In 1945, he worked among the workers of Titagarh. At this time he organised large number of big struggles in this industrial belt. One such was the historic strike of 1946 in Basanti Cotton Mill. It continues even after independence.

He worked in the office of the BPTUC as an assistant to Nirod Chakraborty. In 1947 he was elected as an Assistant Secretary of BPTUC. In 1948 the CPI was banned so he had to go underground. During this period he was sent to North Bengal to organise the tea garden workers of Doors, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling. He did a remarkable job in this belt by organising hitherto unorganised tea garden works.

In 1952, when the ban on CPI was lifted he devoted himself to the trade union activities. He was elected as a president of the Cotton Textile Working Federation. In 1960, he was elected as General Secretary of BPTUC. He was in the post till 1970. When CITU was formed he become the General Secretary of West Bengal Committee of CITU and remained in the post up to 1990. He was also elected as one of the Secretaries of All India CITU. He became its treasurer subsequently. In 1990 he became president of the West Bengal State Committee of CITU. In 1991, he became one of the vice presidents of All India CITU. In 1965, when the Rashiya Sangram Samiti was formed in West Bengal he became one of its conveners. The Samiti Organised large number of struggle including food movement in West Bengal. He was General Secretary of Cotton Textile Workers’ Federation.

In 1947 he became a member of West Bengal State Committee of CPI. He was one of the secretariat members of the West Bengal State Committee of CPI from 1952 – 1955. When the CPI was divided he joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and till death he was its member. In 1977 he was elected to the West Bengal State Secretariat as one of the Secretaries. In 1978, he was elected to the Central Committee of CPI(M).

Monoranjan Roy was arrested and jailed many times in 30s, 50s and 60s. Throughout his lifetime he was in jail and underground for 12 years.

In 1962, Roy was elected to the W.B. assembly from Bijpur Constituency and in 1969, he was elected to Rajya Sabha.

Monoranjan Roy was a good writer. He wrote many essays on labour in movement mainly in Bengali. He wrote two books – 1) Shramik Andolaney Aikya Prasangey (1986) – (Unity in Working class movement), 2) Samrajyabad Birodhi Sangram O Shramik Andolan [Anti imperialist struggle and working class movement – 1987]

On June 13, 1992 at 7.40 P.M. he breathed his last at the age of 82 in SSKM Hospital, Calcutta.