Shripad Amrit Dange | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairman of the Communist Party of India | |
| In office 25 February 1962 – 28 November 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 5 Apr 1967 – 5 April 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Vithal Balkrishna Gandhi |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Kader Salebhoy |
| Constituency | Mumbai Central South |
| In office 5 Apr 1957 – 31 March 1962 | |
| Preceded by | Jayashri Naishadh Raiji |
| Succeeded by | Vithal Balkrishna Gandhi |
| Constituency | Mumbai City Central |
| President, Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti | |
| In office 1959–1960 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 October 1899 Karanjgaon, Bombay Presidency, British India |
| Died | 22 May 1991 (aged 91) Bombay, Maharashtra, India |
| Nationality | British Indian (1899–1947) Indian (1947–1991) |
| Political party | Communist Party of India |
| Spouse | Ushatai Dange |
| Children | Roza Vidyadhar Deshpande |
| Awards |  Order of Lenin |
| Part of a series on |
| Communism in India |
|---|
 |
 Communism portal |
Shripad Amrit Dange OL (10 October 1899 – 22 May 1991) was an Indian politician who was a founding member of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and a stalwart of Indian trade union movement. During the 20th century, Dange was arrested by the authorities for communist and trade union activities and was jailed for an overall period of 13 years.
After India's Independence, a series of events like Sino-Soviet split, Sino-Indian war, and dispute over the stand of the party towards Indian National Congress led to a split in the Communist Party of India, in 1964. The breakaway Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) emerged stronger both in terms of membership and their performance in the Indian Elections. Dange, who remained the Chairman of the CPI till 1978, was removed in that year because the majority of party workers were against Dange's political line of supporting Indian National Congress, and Indira Gandhi, the then Congress Prime Minister. He was expelled from the CPI in 1981. He joined the All India Communist Party (AICP), and later, United Communist Party of India. Towards the end, Dange got increasingly marginalised in the Indian Communist movement. He was also a well-known writer and was the founder of Socialist the first socialist weekly in India. Dange played an important role in the formation of Maharashtra state.