SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 11: Jharkhand lost one of its most uncompromising and outspoken leaders with the passing of Chandrashekhar Dubey, popularly known as Dadai Dubey, on Thursday evening. The 80-year-old leader died at a hospital in Delhi after a prolonged illness.
Over his 48-year-long career in trade unions and politics, Dubey was known for never compromising for the sake of position or power.
Affectionately called ‘Baba’ by his supporters, Dubey served as a five-time MLA from Bishrampur (Palamu) and was elected MP from Dhanbad in 2004. He was also a minister in the Hemant Soren government before being sacked in 2014, reportedly for openly raising his voice against corruption.
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Defiance Against Party Mediation in INTUC Dispute
Dadai Dubey shot into national limelight in 2021 when he openly defied a two-member mediation committee appointed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to resolve the internal feud within the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC).
The committee, comprising Rajya Sabha Opposition Leader Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Digvijay Singh, was tasked with settling the dispute between Dubey’s faction and that of Sanjeeva Reddy—both claiming to represent the true national body of INTUC.
Following a directive issued after their first meeting on August 9, 2021, both factions were instructed not to hold any separate programmes until a final decision was made. However, Dubey rejected the instruction and went ahead with a meeting of his faction in Katras (Dhanbad) on November 13. A week later, the Reddy faction also held a separate meeting in Delhi, highlighting the failure of the party’s mediation effort.
Direct Confrontation with Congress High Command
Speaking to this correspondent at the Dhanbad Circuit House on November 12, 2021, a day before the Katras meeting, Dubey said, “As Digvijay Singh attended the meeting of the Sanjeeva Reddy group, his partiality has been exposed. How will I follow his direction?”
In another bold move, Dubey also rejected a directive issued by Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal on April 4, 2022. The letter, sent on behalf of Sonia Gandhi, ordered Dubey to withdraw all ongoing court cases related to INTUC by April 30. Dubey did not comply with the instruction.
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Refusal to Accept Sonia Gandhi’s INTUC Decision
Dubey’s most striking act of defiance came on December 20, 2022, when Sonia Gandhi officially recognized the Sanjeeva Reddy faction as the legitimate INTUC body, based on the recommendations of the Kharge–Digvijay committee.
In response, Dubey dismissed the decision as “Faltu Faisla” (a worthless decision). No Congress leader had openly criticised a decision by Sonia Gandhi while remaining in the party since 1998—a fact that underscores Dubey’s unyielding character.
Until his final years, Dadai Dubey remained a symbol of resistance within the party, unafraid to challenge even the highest authority if he believed in the righteousness of his cause. His legacy in Jharkhand politics and the trade union movement will be remembered for its courage, conviction, and refusal to bend.
