Shantaram Savlaram Mirajkar (8 February 1899 – 15 February 1980) was an Indian

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

politician and

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

ist. He was part of the old guard of the

Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...

, led the

All India Trade Union Congress The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) is the oldest trade union federation in India. It is associated with the Communist Party of India. According to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, AITUC had a membership of 14.2 mil ...

as its president for many years and served as mayor of Bombay.

Early communist movement in India

In the early 1920s, Mirajkar, S. A. Dange, and S. V. Ghate constituted the early communist leadership that emerged within India, and who resented the role played by the emigre leadership who formed the

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

in 1920. He began organizing trade unions of textile workers in Bombay. When the Workers and Peasants Party was founded in Bombay in January 1927, Mirajkar became its general secretary.M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. ''Communist Parties and United Front - Experience in Kerala and West Bengal''.

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 93 Mirajkar was tried and convicted in the

Meerut Conspiracy Case The Meerut Conspiracy Case was a controversial court case that was initiated in British Raj in March 1929 and decided in 1933. Several trade unionists, including three Englishmen, were arrested for organizing an Indian railway strike. The Briti ...

In 1940–1941, Mirajkar was detained at Deoli Detention Camp in

Ajmer-Merwara Ajmer-Merwara (also known as Ajmir Province, and Ajmer-Merwara-Kekri) was a former province of British India in the historical Ajmer region. The territory was ceded to the British by Daulat Rao Sindhia by a treaty on 25 June 1818. It was unde ...

.''Frontline''.
Making of a Thesis
' He was arrested again in August 1949, along with many other communist trade unionists.

AITUC president and mayor

Mirajkar served as President of the

between 1957 and 1973. Mirajkar was elected mayor of Bombay in 1958.

CPI split and later years

When the so-called "Dange Letters" surfaced in 1964, Mirajkar affirmed that they were authentic. Mirajkar would side with the

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...

in the 1964 CPI split. However, Mirajkar's decision to side with the left in the CPI split was not an issue of ideology, but of personal conflict with S. A. Dange. Prior to the split Mirajkar had belonged to the Dange-led right-wing faction in the party. When the CPI(M) Politburo called for a boycott of the January 1970 AITUC session in

Guntur Guntur (), natively spelt as Gunturu, is a city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district. The city is part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is lo ...

, Mirajkar refused to comply with the party directive and participated anyway. Mirajkar was subsequently expelled from CPI(M). He rejoined the CPI in 1973, persuaded by C. Rajeswara Rao. He retired as AITUC President in 1973, and was succeeded by Dr. Ranen Sen. Mirajkar died in a Bombay nursing home on 15 February 1980, at the age of 79.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirajkar, SS 1980 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in India Indian trade union leaders Mayors of Mumbai Communist Party of India politicians from Maharashtra 1899 births Indian independence activists Prisoners and detainees of British India