Guwahati, June 22 :    Guwahati, June 22:  Veteran Assam politician and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Rajya Sabha member Paragdhar Chaliha passed away in Sibsagar last night. He was 78. Chaliha was suffering from multiple ailments, including diabetes and renal failure. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. The AGP condoled Chaliha?s death at a meeting here this morning. Born in Sibsagar on September 13, 1923, Chaliha battled poverty to become one of Assam?s finest academicians and a respected politician. He matriculated from Sibsagar High School and cleared the intermediate (Arts) examination from J.B.College, Jorhat. He graduated from the Cotton College here and earned a masters degree from Calcutta University. Chaliha?s first academic assignment was as the founder vice-principal of Sibsagar College and he retired as its principal. Having actively participated in the freedom movement, Chaliha?s political loyalty initially lay with the Congress. He was the president of the Sibsagar district Congress committee. Later in life, Chaliha supported the All-Assam Students? Union-led anti-foreigners movement in the state. He joined the AGP in 1985 and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Jorhat constituency. Chaliha was the AGP president for three years from 1992 and elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1995. A prolific writer, Chaliha authored 14 books and several plays. One of his plays, Charihejar Bosor Asom (4,000 years of Assam), has won acclaim even outside the state. Chaliha was the vice-president of the Asam Sahitya Sabha and executive director of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.