Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
বুদ্ধদেব ভট্টাচার্য |
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Bhattacharjee in 2006
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| 7th Chief Minister of West Bengal | |
| In office 6 November 2000 – 13 May 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Jyoti Basu |
| Succeeded by | Mamata Banerjee |
| 3rd Deputy Chief Minister of West Bengal | |
| In office 12 January 1999 – 5 November 2000 |
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| Chief Minister | Jyoti Basu |
| Preceded by | Bijoy Singh Nahar |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Cabinet Minister, Government of West Bengal | |
| In office 1996 – 5 November 2000 |
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| Chief Minister | Jyoti Basu |
| Ministry and Departments | Home and Hill Affairs |
| In office 1987–1996 |
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| Chief Minister | Jyoti Basu |
| Ministry and Departments | Information and Culture, Urban Development, Municipal Affairs |
| In office 1977–1982 |
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| Ministry and Departments | Information and Culture |
| Member of Legislative Assembly, West Bengal | |
| In office 1987–2011 |
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| Preceded by | Ashok Mitra |
| Succeeded by | Manish Gupta |
| Constituency | Jadavpur |
| In office 1977–1982 |
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| Preceded by | Prafulla Kanti Ghosh |
| Succeeded by | Prafulla Kanti Ghosh |
| Constituency | Cossipur |
| Member of Polit Bureau, Communist Party of India (Marxist) | |
| In office 2002–2015 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 March 1944 Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Died | 8 August 2024 (aged 80) Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Political party | Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
| Relations | Sukanta Bhattacharya (uncle) |
| Residences | Palm Avenue, Kolkata |
| Alma mater | Presidency College |
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (born 1 March 1944 – died 8 August 2024) was an important Indian politician. He was a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). He served as the 7th Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011.
During his time as Chief Minister, Bhattacharjee was known for trying to bring new businesses to West Bengal. This was a bit different from the usual policies of his party. However, his plans faced strong protests, especially about land being taken for projects. These protests led to his party losing the election in 2011. This ended the Left Front's 34-year rule in West Bengal. This was the longest time a democratically elected communist government had been in power anywhere in the world.
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Early Life and Education
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was born on 1 March 1944 in North Kolkata. His family had a history of scholars and writers. His grandfather was a Sanskrit scholar and priest. His father was involved in a family business that sold religious books.
Bhattacharjee went to Sailendra Sircar Vidyalaya school. Later, he studied Bengali literature at Presidency College in Kolkata. He earned his B.A. degree in Bengali. After finishing college, he worked as a teacher at a school in Dum Dum.
Personal Life
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was married to Meera Bhattacharjee. They had a daughter named Suchetana Bhattacharjee. The family lived in a small two-room apartment in Ballygunge, Kolkata, for many years. He continued to live there even when he was the Chief Minister. Bhattacharjee was known for living a very simple life. Even though he came from a family of priests, he was an atheist, which means he did not believe in God. This was in line with the ideas of communism.
Starting His Political Journey
Bhattacharjee joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) in 1966. He took part in important movements, like the food movement. He also supported Vietnam in 1968.
In 1968, he became the state secretary of the Democratic Youth Federation. This was the youth group of the CPI(M). He held this position until 1981. He was guided by a senior leader named Pramod Dasgupta.
Rise in Politics
Bhattacharjee became a member of the state committee of CPI(M) in 1972. He joined the state secretariat in 1982.
From 1977 to 1982, he was a MLA for Kashipur-Belgachia. During this time, he also served as a Minister in the West Bengal Cabinet. He was in charge of Information and Public Relations.
He lost an election in 1982 by a small number of votes. However, he continued to be important in the party. In 1984, he became a permanent invitee to the central committee of CPI(M). He became a full member in 1985.
In 1987, he became an MLA again, this time for Jadavpur. He represented this area until 2011. He also returned to the cabinet as Minister of Information and Cultural Affairs. He later took on other roles, including Urban Development and Municipal Affairs.
In 1996, after the state election, Bhattacharjee was given the important responsibility of the home and police department. This was because the Chief Minister, Jyoti Basu, was getting older and had health issues. In 1999, he became the Deputy Chief Minister of West Bengal.
Chief Minister of West Bengal
On 6 November 2000, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee became the Chief Minister of West Bengal. He took over after Jyoti Basu stepped down. As Chief Minister, he led the CPI(M)-led Left Front to win two elections in a row, in 2001 and 2006.
During his time as Chief Minister, he tried to bring more industries and investments to West Bengal. His goal was to create more jobs. The state saw new investments, especially in the IT and services sectors.
One of his big projects was to bring the Tata Nano car factory to a place called Singur. This was meant to produce the world's cheapest car. There were also plans for other large projects, like a steel plant. However, these plans faced strong protests from farmers who did not want their land to be taken.
These protests and other challenges led to his party losing many seats in the 2009 national election. In the 2011 state assembly election, he lost his own constituency to Manish Gupta. The Left Front suffered a big defeat, winning only 62 out of 294 seats. Bhattacharjee resigned as Chief Minister on 13 May 2011.
Later Life
Even after stepping down as Chief Minister, Bhattacharjee remained a member of his party's important committees for some time. He was part of the Politburo and the Central Committee until 2015.
Due to his ongoing health problems, he gradually stepped back from his party roles. In 2018, he left the state committee and state secretariat. He was later named a special invitee to the state committee. In 2019, he tried to attend a big rally in Kolkata, but he couldn't go on stage because of breathing difficulties.
Death
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee passed away on 8 August 2024 in Kolkata. He had been suffering from long-term lung problems.
Images for kids
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Bhattacharjee in 2006
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Bhattacharjee in 2001
