Shripad Amrit Dange (Marathi: श्रीपाद अमृत डांगे) (10 October 1899 - 22 May 1991) was a founding member of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and a stalwart of Indian trade union movement. During the British Raj, Dange was arrested by the British 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 the revelation that while in jail, Dange had written letters to the British Government, offering them cooperation, 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 marginalized 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.
Read more about Shripad Amrit Dange: Early Years, Foundation of The Communist Party of India, Initial Years of Labor Movement in India, Meerut Conspiracy Case, The CPI and The Independence Movement, CPI On The Eve of Independence, The 1950s: Internal Strifes Within The CPI, Formation of Maharashtra, Sino-Indian Border Dispute, Sino-Indian War, Split in The CPI, Dange Letters, Collaborating With Congress, The CPI and The Emergency, Dange's Isolation in CPI, Marginalization Within The Communist Movement, Death and Legacy, Mitrokhin Archives, Dange The Author