Recounting the contribution of its founding member and the former general secretary, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday brought out a publication on the late leader.
“This booklet ‘Harkishan Singh Surjeet – Highlights of an Inspiring Life' is about his revolutionary work and contribution to the development of communist movement in India,'' party general secretary Prakash Karat said, releasing it here at party headquarters.
Mr. Karat said the booklet also carries description about Surjeet's work among the peasants and in the post-Independence era the fight to uphold secular values against communal forces.
Later, he presented the first copy of the 36-page booklet to Pritam Kaur, widow of the former general secretary.
On his part, CPI (M) Parliamentary Party leader Sitaram Yechury said while the booklet cannot do just to the life of Surjeet it gives a glimpse of a person who took part in the freedom struggle at the age of 16 years and later as a builder of modern India.
Polit Bureau member, Brinda Karat, MP, said the effort by the party is intended to bring the life of nine CPI (M) founding members to the younger generation, who may not be aware of the sacrifices made by these communist leaders.
She said the party will bring booklets about the life of each of the eight founding members – P. Sundarayya, A.K. Gopalan, Pramode Dasgupta, Jyoti Basu, M. Basvapunnaiah, B.T. Ranadive, P. Ramamurti and E.M.S. Namboodripad.
Ms. Karat also mentioned that the party chose to release the booklet on the 94{+t}{+h} birth anniversary of Surjeet. She said that in the olden days there were no record of births in rural areas. Many years later when he was required to fill the date of birth, Surjeet chose March 23, a day remembered as the martyrdom day of revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru.
