Govind Ballabh Pant

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Govind Ballabh Pant

Postage stamp, 1965

5th

In office

10 January 1955 – 7 March 1961

Prime Minister

Preceded by

Succeeded by

1st

In office

26 January 1950 – 27 December 1954

Preceded by

Office established

Succeeded by

2nd

In office

1 April 1946 – 25 January 1950

Preceded by

Vacant

Succeeded by

Position abolished

In office

17 July 1937 – 2 November 1939

Preceded by

Succeeded by

Vacant

Personal details

Born

10 September 1887

, North-Western

Provinces, British India

Died

7 March 1961

(aged 73)

, India

Children

3, including

Relatives

(daughter-in-

law)

Awards

(1957)

Govind Ballabh Pant

(10 September 1887 – 7 March 1961) was an Indian

independence activist and politician who was the first

. Alongside

and

Pant was a key figure in the

and later a pivotal

figure in the Indian government. He was one of the foremost political leaders

(then known as

) and a key player in the

successful movement to establish

as the official language of Indian

Union.

[

]

Today, several Indian hospitals, educational institutions and foundations bear

his name. Pant received India's highest civilian honour, the

, in

1957.

Early life

[

]

Govind Ballabh Pant was born on 10 September 1887 in Khoont village near

. He was born in a

family that had migrated from

the present day

The name of his mother

was Govindi Bai. His maternal grandfather, Badri Dutt Joshi, an important

local government official who played a significant role in shaping his

personality and political views, raised Govind because his father, Manorath

Pant, was a government official who was constantly on the move.

Pant studied at

and subsequently worked as a lawyer in

. Here, he began active work against the

in 1914, when he

helped a local

parishad

, or village council, in their successful

, a law requiring locals to provide free transportation of the

luggage of travelling British officials. In 1921, he entered politics and was

elected to the Legislative Assembly of the

In the freedom struggle

[

]

Known as an extremely capable lawyer, Pant was appointed by the

to initially represent

and other

revolutionaries involved in the

in the mid 1920s. He participated

in the protests against Simon Commission in 1928.

, in his

autobiography, mentions how Pant stood by him during the protests and his

large figure made him an easy target for the police. In those protests he

sustained severe injuries which prevented him from straightening his back for

the rest of his life.

In 1930, he was arrested and imprisoned for several weeks for organising a

inspired by

's earlier actions. In 1933, he was arrested

along with Harsh Dev Bahuguna (Gandhi of Choukot) and imprisoned for seven

months for attending a session of the then-banned provincial Congress. In

1935, the ban was rescinded, and Pant joined the new Legislative Council.

During the

, Pant acted as the tiebreaker between Gandhi's

faction, which advocated supporting the British Crown in their war effort, and

's faction, which advocated taking advantage of the

situation to expel the British Raj by all means necessary. He increased his

support base and influence in Lucknow and surrounding areas of Oudh by seeking

help and guidance from Chaubey Mukta Prasad, a civil engineer and public

figure. In 1934, the Congress ended its

of the legislatures and put up

candidates, and Pant was elected to the

. He

became deputy leader of the Congress party in the Assembly.

In 1940, Pant was arrested and imprisoned for helping organise the

movement. In 1942 he was arrested again, this time for signing the

resolution, and spent three years in

along with other members of the Congress working committee until March 1945, at which point

pleaded successfully for Pant's release, on grounds of failing health.

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh

[

]

Pant took over as the

from 1937 to 1939.

In 1945, the British

ordered new elections to the Provincial legislatures.

The

won a

majority in the 1946 elections in the United Provinces and Pant was again the Premier, continuing even after India's

in 1947 till 1954.

His judicious reforms and stable governance in the

stabilised the economic condition of the most

populous State of India.

The

issue emerged during his rule. The idols of

and

were installed inside the

on the night of 22–23 December 1949 and the devotees began to gather from the next day.

Home Minister

and Prime Minister

directed Pant to remove the idols, however Pant was not willing to remove

the idols and added that "there is a reasonable chance of success, but things are still in a fluid state and it will

be hazardous to say more at this stage".

By 1950, the state took control of the structure under section 145 CrPC

and allowed Hindus, not Muslims, to perform their worship at the site.

He played a significant role in developing

in the state. He also urged farmers to become self-reliant

and educate their children and strive on a co-operative basis to enhance their life and ways of cultivation.

Union Home Minister of India

[

]

Pant served as

from 1955 to 1961.

Pant was appointed Minister of Home Affairs in the Union

Cabinet on 10 January 1955 in New Delhi by

. As Home Minister, his chief achievement was the

. He was also responsible for the establishment of

as an official

language of the

and a few states.

During his tenure as the

, Pant was awarded the

on 26 January 1957.

Death

[

]

In 1960, he suffered a

He was treated by top doctors in India, including his friend Dr

, the then

. His health started deteriorating and he died on 7 March 1961 at the age

of 73, from a

. At that time he was still in office as the

Mourning him,

, the then

was quoted as saying, "I had known Pandit Govind Ballabh

Pant since 1922 and in this long period of association it had been my privilege to receive from him not only

consideration but also affection. This is no time to assess his labour and his achievements. The grief is too intense

for words. I can only pray for peace to his soul and strength to those who loved and admired him."

Institutions and monuments

[

]

is an

Pant on a 1965 stamp of

India

Pant on a 1988 stamp

of India

Statue of Pant at Mall

Road,

Statue of Pant near Sansad Bhavan, New Delhi

Family

[

]

Govind Ballabh Pant's son,

, was also a politician.