Dinesh Chandra Dakua
{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
Dinesh Dakua is an Indian politician, belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). He represented the Mathabhanga constituency in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly 1967–1969 and 1977–2006. He was a cabinet minister in the West Bengal state governments between 1987 and 2006, first as Minister for Scheduled Caste and Tribes Welfare and later as Minister of Tourism.
Legislator
Dakua was active in the students movement 1948–1950.Nisith Ranjan Ray. [https://books.google.at/books?id=iToWAAAAIAAJ Dimensions of National Integration: The Experiences and Lessons of Indian History]. Punthi-Pustak & Institute of Historical Studies, 1993. p. 418 As a lawyer, we practiced law in Mathabhanga Court.
He contested the Mathabhanga seat in the 1962 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election as the Communist Party of India candidate. He finished in second place with 15,482 votes (45.20%).Election Commission of India. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140714193601/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1962/StatRep_WB_1962.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1962 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL] He stood as the CPI candidate in the 1963 by-election for the Cooch Behar parliamentary seat, finishing in fourth place with 17,760 votes (7.83%).Election Commission of India. [https://books.google.at/books?newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&id=bVLVAAAAMAAJ Results of Bye-elections]. Manager of Publications., 1965. p. 4
He was elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in the 1967 election, standing as a CPI(M) candidate and winning the Mathabhanga seat with 26,872 votes (64.26%).Election Commission of India. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140404194327/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1967/Statistical%20report%20WB1967.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1967 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL] Dakua lost the Mathabhanga seat in the 1969 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, finishing in second place with 22,478 votes (48.52%).Election Commission of India. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140718182429/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1969/StatReport_WB_69.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1969 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL] He contested the Mathabhanga seat in the 1971 election, finishing in second place with 18,386 votes (38.89%).Election Commission of India. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140718182727/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1971/StatReport_WB_71.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1971 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL] He again finished in second place in the 1972 election, obtaining 18,173 votes (39.80%).Election Commission of India. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140404195120/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1972/StatReport_WB_72.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1972 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL]
He returned to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly following the 1977 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, winning the Mathabhanga seat as the CPI(M) candidate. He was re-elected in 1982, 1987, 1991, 1996 and 2001.Election Commission of India. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140404201733/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1996/StatisticalReport-WB96.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1996 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL]Election Commission of India. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140404195818/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_2001/StatRept_WB_2001.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 2001 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL]
Minister
Dakua was named as the Minister for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Third Left Front government, formed after the 1987 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.[https://books.google.at/books?id=EBQuAQAAIAAJ Asian Recorder, Vol. 33]. 1987. p. 19439{{cite news|newspaper=India Today|title=Report on implementation of schemes for ST/SC causes ripple in official circles|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19871215-report-on-implementation-of-schemes-for-stsc-causes-ripple-in-official-circles-799595-1987-12-14|date=15 December 1987}} He became the first West Bengal state government minister from the Rajbanshi people.
He was again named as the Minister-in-Charge of the Department of SC/ST Welfare in the Fourth Left Front government, formed after the 1991 election.[https://books.google.at/books?id=CNeNAAAAMAAJ Election Results of West Bengal: Statistics & Analysis, Vol. 1]. pp. 386, 397, 446India. Ministry of Home Affairs. [https://books.google.at/books?id=kLC2AAAAIAAJ Sarakārī ḍayrekṭrī]. Gṛha Mantrālaya., 1993. p. 174 In the Fifth Left Front government, formed after the 1996 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election Dakua's post was changed to Minister-in-Charge of the Department S.C., S.T. & OBC Welfare.[https://books.google.at/books?id=fduNAAAAMAAJ Election Results of West Bengal: Statistics & Analysis, Vol. 2]. p. 30
Dakua was named as the Minister of Tourism in the Sixth Left Front government, formed after the 2001 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.{{cite news|newspaper=Frontline|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/article30250845.ece|title=A Ministry of promise|date=9 June 2001}} He remained in the role as Minister of Tourism until 2006.Rediff. [https://www.rediff.com/news/2006/feb/16cpim.htm CPI(M) drops seven ministers from candidates list] CPI(M) denied Dakua a ticket to contest the 2006 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election. The Mathabhanga seat was instead given to Ananta Roy, chairman of the zilla parishad. The move reportedly caused dissent in the party in the area, with the Dakua camp arguing that Roy was an outsider living in the Cooch Behar assembly constituency.{{cite news|newspaper=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/dakua-left-out-after-35-years/cid/822867|title=Dakua left out after 35 years|date=16 February 2006}} In parallel to his ministerial functions, he was a member of the All India Kisan Council.All India Kisan Sabha. [https://kisansabha.org/aiks/resources/conference-documents/xxix-conference/29th-conference-office-bearers-ckc-and-aikc-members-of-aiks-elected-by-the-29th-conference/ 29th Conference: OFFICE-BEARERS, CKC AND AIKC]
Views of Rajbanshi statehood movement
Dakua was actively involved in social and cultural associations of the Rajbanshi people.Sukhabilāsa Barmā. [https://books.google.at/books?id=l-jZAAAAMAAJ Socio-political Movements in North Bengal: A Sub-Himalayan Tract, Vol. 2]. Global Vision Publishing House, 2007. p. 180 But he was a prominent opponent of the movement for a Rajbanshi state, labelling the movement as 'separatist'.Nandini Basistha. [https://books.google.at/books?id=0l9YEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA127 Politics of Separatism]. K.K. Publications, 2022. p. 127 He argued that Rajbanshi should be considered as a dialect of the Bengali language, rather than a separate language.Kunal Ghosh. [https://books.google.at/books?id=_8ylAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA27 Separatism in North-East India: Role of Religion, Language and Script]. Suruchi Prakashan, 2008. p. 35
In August 2002, following the killing of 5 CPI(M) workers by the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), Dakua and CPI(M) West Bengal Forest Minister Jogesh Burman protested against the CPI(M) state leadership, accusing them of having ignored their warnings on KLO activities. Dakua and Burman argued that additional funds should have been assigned to the underdeveloped districts, and that the "poverty and backwardness of the locals had been prompting them to indulge in various criminal activities".{{cite news|newspaper=The Tribune|title=2 CPM ministers revolt in Bengal|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020825/nation.htm#4|date=25 August 2002}}
Later period
Dakua's house was attacked in the wave of post-poll violence in the wake of the 2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.{{cite news|newspaper=People's Democracy|title=Post poll Terror in West Bengal|url=https://peoplesdemocracy.in/2016/0529_pd/post-poll-terror-west-bengal|date=29 May 2016}}
References
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Category:State cabinet ministers of West Bengal
Category:West Bengal MLAs 1967–1969
Category:West Bengal MLAs 1977–1982
Category:West Bengal MLAs 1982–1987
Category:West Bengal MLAs 1987–1991
Category:West Bengal MLAs 1991–1996
Category:West Bengal MLAs 1996–2001
Category:West Bengal MLAs 2001–2006
Category:Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from West Bengal