Swami Kumaranand

Swami Kumaranand, born Dvijendra Kumar Naag (16 April 1889 – 29 December 1971), was an Indian politician and leader of Communist Party of India. He was a key builder of the communist movement in Rajputana and Madhya Bharat.

Early life Kumaranand hailed from a Bengali family in Rangoon; in order to organised resistance against British rule there. Together with Maulana Hasrat Mohani, he co-tabled the first motion to call for full Independence for India at the Ahmedabad session of the AICC in 1921, a move Gandhi rejected at the time. He was one of the leading figures of the Salt Satyagraha in Beawar, and was arrested for his role in this agitation.

Labour and communist leader Kumaranand organised a trade union of textile mill workers in 1931, the Mill Mazdoor Sabha, with workers from three mills. This union was short-lived, as it met stern resistance from mill owners. In 1936 Kumaranand founded the Textile Labour Union. This union also failed to make any major impact.

At the Indian National Congress session of 1939, Kumaranand supported the candidature of Subhas Chandra Bose. Following his release from prison, he joined the Communist Party of India in 1945. In 1948, after Independence, he was jailed again. He was arrested following the central government employees' strike of July 1960. Kumaranand won the Beawar seat in the 1962 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election, with 11,681 votes (37.18%). His election was facilitated by the inside the Beawar Congress Party between Brij Mohan Lal Sharma and Chiman Singh Lodha. During Kumaranand's first visit to the Legislative Assembly after being elected, the Chief Minister Mohanlal Sukhadia greeted him and touched his feet as a sign of respect.

Legacy In 1975 the Swami Kumaranand Smarak Samiti ('Swami Kumaranand Memorial Society') was established. In 2012 the CPI inaugurated 'Swami Kumaranand Bhavan' as its Rajasthan state headquarters in Jaipur. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, CPI leaders A.B. Bardhan, S. Sudhakar Reddy, and Atul Kumar Anjan and CPI(M) leader Vasudev Sharmatook part in the ceremony.