Noted social activist and former BJD MP Baishnab Parida passes away

Bhubaneswar,November 22:

Noted Social activist, writer and former BJD MP Baishnab Charan Parida passed away here today following protracted illness. He was 77.

Parida was admitted to a private hospital in the state capital here few days back.

A great follower of Karl Marx and his ideology, Mr Parida moved to Kolkata for higher study and did his MPhil in Moscow university.

He served as the BJD member in Rajya Sabha from 2010 to 2016 but prior to that he was the President of the Odisha unit of Samajwadi Party form 1999-2018.

Born in srirampur village in Jajpur district, Mr Parida was actively associated with the language movement in Odisha and even criticized Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for not taking any interest to learn odia language despite being the CM for last 18 years.

He was also member of the Communist party of India form 1960 to 1962 and involved in trade union and labour union movement in West Bengal where he did his higher study.

In 1964 he was elected as member of Executive Committee of West Bengal Students Federation. In 1965 he formed Soviet Land (Oriya Editor) as a member of its editorial board. He continued as a member until 1975.

In 1974 Mr Parida moved to Moscow with his family for a special assignment for Indo-Soviet coordination. He stayed there until 1989. During his stay in Russia he held several positions.

He was the correspondent of RIA Novosti from 1984 to 1989 and was elected as General Secretary of Indian Association in 1988.

A Marxist and socialist at heart, he had to leave CPI due to some differences on application of Marxist ideology in Indian reality.

During his stay in Moscow he read literature on Mohandas K. Gandhi and Ambedkar, slowly and steadily he was attracted towards Gandhian Philosophy and Lohia’ s ideology.

In 1993 he joined Indian National Congress. Until 1998 he was in Congress but due to his differences with the state party leadership he left congress and joined Samajwadi Party in 1999 as its State President. He was in Samajwadi party until he resigned in 2008 and joined the Biju Janata dal( BJD).

He had edited several books, translated 31 Russina classics and many children books .He was also contributing articles to various journals and news papers and written numerous poems.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has condoled the death of Mr Parida and conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved family.BM