<p>When the 16th Lok Sabha is convened after the general elections, it will miss out on one of the most active parliamentarians in the Left contingent – senior CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta – who has decided to hang up his boots after a long career as a parliamentarian.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Dasgupta, a former representative of the Ghatal constituency in West Bengal, will not contest the Lok Sabha polls. <br /><br />He said, “I am too old and I want to leave the space for youngsters as the country belongs to young people.”<br /><br />The 78-year-old leader was a parliamentarian for 25 years; first as a Rajya Sabha member for three terms in 1985, 1988 and 1994, and again for two terms in 2004 and 2009. In his time as a parliamentarian, Dasgupta built a reputation for raising several public interest issues. <br /><br />Having had his share of limelight both inside Parliament as well as outside, Dasgupta told Deccan Herald: “Whether I am in Parliament or not, I will continue to raises these issues in public forums.” <br /><br />Dasgupta was a voice of dissent against Reliance Industries on the under production of gas in the KG Basin, when most political parties and MPs were silent on the issue.<br /><br />“I raised the KG basin issue before the Aam Aadmi Party led by Arvind Kejriwal took it up. I am happy that the issue became a hot debate in public domain, and hope the government will take action to recovery the penalty money from the oil firm”.<br /><br /></p>
<p>When the 16th Lok Sabha is convened after the general elections, it will miss out on one of the most active parliamentarians in the Left contingent – senior CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta – who has decided to hang up his boots after a long career as a parliamentarian.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Dasgupta, a former representative of the Ghatal constituency in West Bengal, will not contest the Lok Sabha polls. <br /><br />He said, “I am too old and I want to leave the space for youngsters as the country belongs to young people.”<br /><br />The 78-year-old leader was a parliamentarian for 25 years; first as a Rajya Sabha member for three terms in 1985, 1988 and 1994, and again for two terms in 2004 and 2009. In his time as a parliamentarian, Dasgupta built a reputation for raising several public interest issues. <br /><br />Having had his share of limelight both inside Parliament as well as outside, Dasgupta told Deccan Herald: “Whether I am in Parliament or not, I will continue to raises these issues in public forums.” <br /><br />Dasgupta was a voice of dissent against Reliance Industries on the under production of gas in the KG Basin, when most political parties and MPs were silent on the issue.<br /><br />“I raised the KG basin issue before the Aam Aadmi Party led by Arvind Kejriwal took it up. I am happy that the issue became a hot debate in public domain, and hope the government will take action to recovery the penalty money from the oil firm”.<br /><br /></p>
