Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi

Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi (Prio Rônjon Dashmunshi; 13 November 1945 – 20 November 2017) was a noted Congress politician, former Union Minister and a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. He represented the Raiganj (Lok Sabha constituency) of West Bengal and was a member of the Indian National Congress party. After nine years in coma after a massive stroke, he died on 20 November 2017, aged 72.

Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi
Dasmunsi in 2007
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 1999–2009
Preceded by	Subrata Mukherjee
Succeeded by	Deepa Dasmunsi
Constituency	Raiganj
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
In office 28 May 2004 – 12 October 2008
President	A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Pratibha Patil
Minister of Information and Broadcasting
In office 24 May 2004 – 12 October 2008
President	A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Pratibha Patil
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha for Howrah
In office 1984–1989,1996–1998
Preceded by	Samar Mukherjee, Susanta Chakraborty
Succeeded by	Susanta Chakraborty, Bikram Sarkar
Constituency	Howrah
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 1971–1977
Preceded by	Ganesh Ghosh
Succeeded by	Dilip Chakravarty
Constituency	Calcutta South
Personal details
Born	13 November 1945 Chirirbander, Bengal Presidency, British India (now in Bangladesh)
Died	20 November 2017 (aged 72)
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse(s)	Deepa Dasmunsi
Children	1 son
Residence	Kolkata

Career

Dasmunsi was President of Indian Youth Congress in West Bengal from 1970 to 1971. He entered the Indian Parliament in 1971. He became a minister for the first time in 1985, when he was sworn in as Union Minister of State, Commerce. Within his home State, he was known for his strong anti-Left credentials.

He was the cabinet minister in Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting during the first term of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This posting led to several controversial decisions, including several bans of Western television networks, including a three-month ban on the Sony-owned television network AXN and Fashion TV following the broadcast of programs deemed "obscene" by Dasmunsi.[1][2] Dasmunsi was also responsible for the popular, if controversial, decision to require Indian sports broadcaster Nimbus Communications to share broadcast rights for Indian cricket matches with the state television network, Doordarshan — this despite Nimbus paying hundreds of millions of dollars for the rights to broadcast Indian cricket matches over four years.[3]

Dasmunsi served as the President of the All India Football Federation for almost 20 years.

Career milestones

• In 1971, Dasmunsi won in the general from the Constituency (Lok Sabha) South Calcutta.
• In 1984, he won in the general elections from the Howrah (Lok Sabha constituency).[4]
• In 1989, he lost in the general elections from Howrah.[4]
• In 1991, he lost in the general elections from Howrah.[4]
• In 1996, he won in the general elections from Howrah.[4]
• In 1999, he won in the general elections from Raiganj (Lok Sabha constituency)
• In 2004, he won in the general elections from Raiganj (Lok Sabha constituency).[5]

Life

Dasmunsi was married in 1994 to Mrs. Deepa Dasmunsi, a social worker from Kolkata. They have a young son, Priyadeep Dasmunshi.

Dasmunsi suffered from numerous problems like diabetes and hypertension during his prime. He suffered a massive stroke and paralysis on 12 October 2008, leaving him in minimum conscious state.[6] He was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi and was later shifted to Apollo Hospital in New Delhi.[7] He remained on life support, and was diagnosed with a complete failure of the left ventricular system. In November 2009, Dasmunsi was temporarily moved to Düsseldorf, where he underwent stem cell therapy in an attempt to reverse some of the loss of brain functions caused by the stroke.[8]

Since Dasmunsi's hospitalization, his wife Deepa has to some extent taken over his political mantle; she was elected from Raiganj (Lok Sabha constituency) in 2009.

On 10 October 2011, the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi advised his family to take him home and care for him there.[9]

After lingering for nine years in coma, Dasmunsi finally died on 20 November 2017, a week after his 72nd birthday. His dead body was taken to his ancestral home in Raiganj, West Bengal, and was cremated at the local crematorium.[10]

References

1. AXN says sorry for 'obscene' TV
2. "FTV banned". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 30 March 2007.
3. "The Hindu News Update Service". Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
4. "24 - Howrah Parliamentary Constituency". West Bengal. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original on 11 April 2005. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
5. "Raignaj Lok Sabha seat 2004". West Bengal. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 25 August 2008.
6. "9 years in 'minimum conscious state'". Ajanta Chakraborty. The Times of India. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
7. "Priyaranjan Dasmunshi to be treated in Germany". Press Trust of India. 31 October 2009.
8. "After PM advice, stem cell therapy abroad for Dasmunsi". Indian Express. 2 November 2009.
9. "Delhi: Comatose ex-information and broadcasting minister Dasmunshi denied room in Apollo". India Today. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
10. Prabhu, Sunil (20 November 2017). "Veteran Congress Leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, In Coma Since 2008, Dies At 72". NDTV. Retrieved 20 November 2017.

External links

• Dasmunsi called Nimbus Communications 'unpatriotic' for refusing to share a live feed of Indian cricket matches with state broadcast Doordarshan.