BIRTH
CENTENARY OF COM. K.G.BOSE
COM.K.G.BOSE, THE GUIDING STAR OF P & T
AND CG EMPLOYEES’ MOVEMENT
7th
July 2020 is the 100th birth anniversary of Comrade Krishna
GopalBasu (Com.K.G.Bose), who
transformed the P and T as also the
Central Government employees trade union movement in to a fighting force based
on the working class ideology and progressive thoughts. He was an employee of
the Posts and Telegraphs Department for only about 7 years having been
dismissed in connection with the proposed strike in 1949, but his entire life
was dedicated and sacrificed for the cause of the Central and P and T employees
in particular and the working class in general.
He was born as the third son of his
parents Shri Jaya GopalBasu and Smt. Nivanani Basu. Jaya Gopal Basu was a
teacher, as also a well-known poet and writer. Both his father and elder
brother died in an accident in 1926 and his eldest brother became invalid due
to serious illness and passed away in 1937. KG’s mother had to struggle hard to
maintain the family consisting of KG, younger brothers and sisters. Both KG and
brother Moni completed their studies with the help from Ramakrishna Mission.
First KG worked in a private company and then got appointed as a clerk in the
office of the Divisional Engineer Telegraphs, Calcutta in 1941. It was a great
relief to the struggling family. While studying he was very active in the
Marxist Study Group there.
From his joining the department, he
became active in the Indian Telegraph Association (ITA) formed by the great
pioneer, Henry Barton. He became Branch Secretary in no time. His brother Moni
Bose also got job in the same office in 1945.
There were a number of unions in P and T
at that time, including All India Post Office and RMS Union started by
BabuTarapada Mukherjee, Postmen and Lower Grade Staff Union started by
V.G.Dalvi Bar-at-Law and Indian Telegraph Association. Most of them were led by
reformist leadership.
It was at this time that the Postmen and
Lower Grade Staff Union declared indefinite strike from 11th July
1946. Although started as Postmen strike it spread to all wings of the P and T
Department. Under the inspiring leadership of Coms. B.N. Ghosh (Dada Ghosh) and
K.G.Bose the strike was complete in Posts and Telegraphs in Bengal. The strike
and rally organized by the Trade Unions in support of the strike on 29th
July 1946 in Calcutta was the biggest rally in the city till that time,
participated by about 15 lakhs workers engulfing the entire city.
The strike spread throughout India and
the British Government was compelled to discuss with the unions and fully
concede the major 12 demands raised in the strike notice. After 23 days, strike
was withdrawn on 3rd August 1946. It was a big success. In Bengal
the strike continued for three more days and another demand “Good Conduct Pay”
was achieved. The P and T Strike in 1946 is
considered as part of the great freedom movement as in the case of the Naval Mutiny.
In the formation of the Union of P and T
Workers (UPTW) in 1946, merging most of the Unions in P and T, though a
youngster, K.G.Bose took a prominent role. The strike planned by UPTW in 1949
could not materialize since all the leaders and many of the delegates who
reached Madras for the Supreme Council to take final decision were arrested and
jailed. Com. K.G.Bose and many others were arrested from Calcutta itself and
jailed. The proposed strike was crushed ruthlessly.
Both Coms. K.G.Bose and Moni Bose were
dismissed / terminated from service in connection with the 1949 strike. The
case against the dismissal of KG continued for a long time, but finally his
dismissal was confirmed in 1961. Moni also was not reinstated.
KG became a full time union worker. National
Federation of P and T Employees (NFPTE) was formed on 24th November
1954 through the realignment scheme, merging all the existing unions in the
Federation. Through the realignment, a Federation with nine affiliated all
India unions was constituted. It was a great achievement in bringing unity.
Com.K.G. became one of the most important leaders of NFPTE in Bengal.
The 5 Days Glorious Strike of 1960 by
the Central government employees was the biggest strike in Independent India
till that time, participated by lakhs of workers. Com.KG took a leading role.
Com.K.G.Bose was elected as the Circle Secretary of the Postal Class III Union and
later elected as the All India President in 1963. He was also elected as the
Circle Secretary of E.III Union.
12th July Committee, a Co-ordination Committee
of Central, State, Public Sector, Local Self-Government Employees’ Unions etc.
was formed in Bengal in 1966. He was elected as its first Joint Convener
appreciating his great contribution in bringing the unions together to form the
Committee.
Com.K.G. Bose toured all over India in
preparation and for organizing the One Day Token Strike of Central government
employees in 1968. The central government dealt the strike in a ferocious way
arresting, terminating, dismissing and punishing tens of thousands of workers.
17 comrades became martyrs to the brutalities of the police / CRPF and also
crushed under the trains when picketing. Com.K.G. along with others made herculean
efforts for vacating the victimization.
The fight against the reformist and
revisionist leadership continued.In 1970 Vijayawada Federal Council, contest
took place and defeating the revisionist leadership, KG Bose was elected as the
President of NFPTE with Com. A.S.Rajan as the Secretary General. For the first time
in the history of NFPTE, a Worker President was elected. Till that time, it was
only Members of Parliament or Central TU leaders, who were elected as
President.
In the next Federal Council held in 1971
at Calcutta, OP Gupta group floated a parallel list of office-bearers and
disrupted NFPTE. Some of the affiliated unions and the Confederation of CG
employees were also disrupted.
In 1969, KG was elected as an MLA in
W.Bengal Assembly and later nominated as a Member of the Pay Commission for the
State Government employees. Both the responsibilities he fulfilled with credit.
Com. K.G.Bose played an inspiring role
in the massively participated P and T Convention, EDA Convention and Bonus
Convention held at Delhi in 1972. It was a show of strength by the KG-Iyer-Adi
progressive leadership in the Federation.
All these hectic activities had a
disastrous effect on his health. On a checkup it was found that the dreaded
cancer has caught with him. But he continued his work without break.
It was during this period in 1973 that
he came to Calicut. He was given a warm reception at the Railway Station by
hundreds of P and T and sister unions and he addressed largely attended
meetings. We never knew at that time that he was suffering from cancer. He did
not tell also.
He was taken to London for expert
treatment. But to the extreme sorrow of all, sad news came that our dear
Com.K.G. left us forever on 11th December 1974. He was only 53. He left behind his wife Smt. Parul Bose, a
trade union leader herself and their son Dipankar Bose and family. KG’s younger brother Com.Moni Bose was also in
the leadership of the movement and was the first Patron of the BSNL Employees
Union and earlier General Secretary of the E.III Union.
The following extract from his letter
from London Hospital to the Calcutta Comrades shows his anxiety and keen
interest in workers, even when was seriously ill:
“I want to survive and continue my
uncompromising fight against all injustices and in this struggle I am not
alone. Thousands and thousands of comrades are with me and they are the source
of my inspiration…. “We cannot be a party to any proposal which may be
considered as surrender of the principled stand by the common workers”.
The own building of BSNL Employees Union
in Delhi purchased in2010 was named “ K.G.Bose Bhawan” in his memory.
I had a long association with Com.K.G.
since 1963 when I met him at the Trivandrum All India Conference of E.III Union
and where his intervention with the P and T Board Member Mr. Sen Gupta resulted
in the cancellation of Rule 14 charge sheets imposed on me and other 7 others
for organizing a strike at Kannur. Since then, in the All India Conferences and
Federal Council Meetings he was the guiding force for all of us. He visited
Calicut twice on our invitation and addressed widely attended meetings. The P
and T Union office at Calicut is also named after him and inaugurated by his
wife Com. Parul Bose, probably the first building dedicated to his memory.
It is heartening to note that the birth
centenary of Com. KG Bose is being observed for one year from 7th
July 2020 by various organizations.
Com.K.G.Bose was the guide, ideologue
and leader, who led the P and T and CG employees’ movement on the correct path.
He was a Shining Star for a whole generation of young comrades like me.
In this juncture, when more and more
attacks are coming against the working class and whatever gains they achieved
through struggles are being taken away, the memory of
Com.K.G.Bose will strengthen us to continue our struggle and forward march.
RED SALUTE TO COM.K.G.BOSE,
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