Former Rajya Sabha MP Baishnab Charan Parida passes away at 77

Bhubaneswar, Nov 22: Former Rajya Sabha MP Baishnab Charan Parida passed away today at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He was 77. Parida was undergoing treatment since many days after he was diagnosed with cancer.

He was a well known politician, columnist and a social activist. Parida had been fighting to bring the Odisha Official Language Act, 1954.

Parida was born in 1941 in Jajpur district, Odisha. His father Jagbandhu Parida was a worker in jute mill in Kolkata and a folk singer and his mother Sulochana Parida was a housewife. His early School education was at Mangalpur primary School. After his matriculation, he moved to Kolkata to continue his higher studies as his father was working there. He completed his Graduation in Kolkata from Bangabasi College and MA In Political Science from the University of Calcutta. Later he completed his M.Phil from Moscow University.

He was a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI) from 1960 to 1992. Later he quit CPI due to some differences on application of Marxist ideology in Indian reality.

In 1993, he joined Indian National Congress. Until 1998 he was in Congress but due to his differences with the then State party leadership he quit the party and joined Samajwadi Party in 1999 as its State President. He was in Samajwadi party until he resigned in 2008. In 2008 he joined the BJD.

The senior leader was elected to Rajya Sabha in July 2010 and his term ended on July 1, 2016.