leader

Moni Singh was the mentor of the Tanka and Tebhaga Movement. The spark of the peasant movement forced the government to concede to the demand and abolish the Tanka system.

He did not confine himself only to the peasant movement but also inspired others to set up educational institutions, health facilities and small industries in this region. He motivated his party men to devote themselves to this end. He used to say that without collective development of life one could not have a developed society. Patriotism means assurance of food, clothing, dwelling, health, education and freedom of speech for all.

It was written by some historian that young trade union leader was much popular among textile workers of Metiaburuj of Kolkata and it was due to his honesty and sincerity to the cause of working-class. By his brilliant understanding over labor movement young trade unionist, Moni Singh even compelled Netaji Subhash Basu to fulfill the demands of textile workers.

This made him more popular among textile workers. By this time the overwhelming wave of the Russian Socialist revolution reached in oppressed India and young Moni Singh was strongly influenced by the thoughts of that revolution and later in 1925 he met with renowned revolutionary Gopen Chakravarty.

 After discussion with that revolutionary leader, he took Marxism-Leninism as his political ideology. Obtaining a membership of Communist Party was very difficult at that time. Party membership was given after heavy screening to ensure the security of the party.

Being an outstanding leader of oppressed people Moni Singh never stopped, during his captive-time in Susong Durgapur he again started mobilizing peasants and Khetmajur(agricultural workers) to protect their rights. This time his maternal uncles, who were jamindar (land lord) of Susong Durgapur became his opposition.

Despite strong obstacle from own family revolutionary Moni Singh courageously stood for the just cause of rural poor. This made him a well-known peasant’s leader of that area. During that time he again imprisoned for one and half years for demanding proper price of Jute.

British colonialism defeated but left behind its residuals, from that debris communalism erupted and so-called two-nation theory evolved, which realized by the creation religion based Pakistan. Moni Singh and many of his fellow comrades did not accept so-called ‘two nation theory’.

 They continued the struggle for secularism an socialism. Consequently, Pakistani authority declared Communist Party and him outlaw and issued an arrest warrant. Also declared Tk. 10,000 as prize money for arresting Comrade Moni Singh.

Despite this repression, Comrade Moni Singh played a pivotal role against Pakistani military autocratic regime. In this tougher period in 1951 banned Communist Party held its 2nd National Conference and Moni Singh elected as General Secretary and subsequently in 3rd Conference he again reelected at the same position.

In the Independent Bangladesh, he continued the struggle for establishing democracy and exploitation-free society. For this reason, he criticized some wrong policies of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman which practically benefited reactionary forces. Comrade Moni Singh was elected as the President of the Communist Party of Bangladesh in 2nd Congress (national conference) in 1973 and subsequently in 3rd Congress in 1980.

After the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman the Communist Party was declared illegal by the military government and during the military rule of Lt. Gen. Ziaur Rahman in the middle of 1977 Comrade Moni Singh was again arrested at the age of 77. This legendary revolutionary was politically active up to the age of 84. In 23rd February of 1984, he became seriously sick and leave his last breath in 31st December of 1990.