Sudhindranath Kumar

Sudhindranath KumarSudhindranath Kumar (1918-1984) was an Indian politician, belonging to the Revolutionary Communist Party of India. He served as general secretary of the party 1960–1984, represented Howrah Central constituency in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and served as Food Minister of the state in 1969 and 1977–1982.

Youth and student years Kumar was born into a Calcutta middle class family in 1918. He studied Law, and obtained a master's degree in 1940. He held the post until his death.

United Front period Kumar served as convenor of the United Front formed ahead of the 1967 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election. During the protests against the dismissal of the first United Front cabinet in 1967, Kumar was arrested under the Preventive Detention Act. After the 1969 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election Kumar was named Food and Supplies Minister in the second United Front state government. The Food Minister had been given to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the coalition government, but CPI(M) opted to name Kumar as its choice for the post. Kumar was seen as a CPI(M) protege at the time, Himmat magazine referred to him as the 'blue-eyed boy of Jyoti Basu'. In July 1969 Kumar expelled both of the RCPI legislators from RCPI, creating a split in the party. A June 1969 edition of Himmat reported that Kumar was about to lose his ministerial post. As the West Bengal Legislative Council was abolished in August 1969 (to which Kumar, in theory, had a chance to get elected) and none of the elected legislators had been willing to resign to enable Kumar to get elected, Kumar was forced to resign from his ministerial post.

1971 elections After the fall of the United Front cabinet, the RCPI (Sudhin Kumar group) joined the CPI(M)-led United Left Front. The front, which was formally constituted in May 1970, had Kumar as its convenor. Kumar, along with Hare Krishna Konar of CPI(M), was tasked with drafting the joint electoral manifesto. He obtained 12,616 votes (39.80%). Kumar finished in second place with 15,870 votes (37.77%). He obtained 21,502 votes (44.50%). Kumar also served as vice president of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). Kumar finished in second place with 29,785 votes (43.34%). Bimalananda Mukherjee replaced him as the RCPI representative in the Left Front government.

Kumar died in 1984.