Baishnab Parida passes away at 77

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Bhubaneswar: Former Rajya Sabha member Baishnab Charan Parida died at a hospital
here Thursday following a protracted illness. He was 77 and is survived by wife, a son and a daughter.
Parida, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital here, breathed his last Thursday morning. Well-known politician, writer, columnist and a social activist, he was elected to Rajya Sabha in July 2010 on a Biju Janata
Dal ticket and his term ended July 1, 2016.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed his condolences with Parida’s bereaved family. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also expressed grief over the demise of Parida.
Parida, who was president of Odisha Bhasa Suraksha Sammilani, had been fighting for promotion of Odia and use of the language in official works.
Born in Jajpur district in 1941, Parida was a member of the Communist Party of India from 1960 to 1992. In 1974 he moved to Moscow with family for a special assignment for Indo-Soviet coordination and stayed there till 1989.
In 1993, he joined Indian National Congress. Until 1998 he was in Congress but quit the party and joined Samajwadi Party in 1999 as its state president. He was in Samajwadi party till 2008 when he joined the BJD.