New Delhi. The world knows former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as a strong leader, but there was a Lok Sabha election in the country when Dalit leader Masuriyuddin, who was a close friend of her father Jawaharlal Nehru, refused to support Indira Gandhi. This was the time of 1969, when there was a split in the Congress and the party was divided into two parts. The country’s 5th Lok Sabha elections were held in the year 1971. India Gandhi had invited Masuriyuddin, who was very important in the party during her father’s time, to join her. Masuriadin, who actively participated with Mahatma Gandhi in the freedom movement, also had good relations with Indira Gandhi but he refused to support the then PM.
India told him, uncle, come along. Masuriadin replied that I consider you my daughter but I have given my word that I will not be able to come along. However, Masuriadin, who contested from Congress (O) from Phulpur CT, had to face defeat in these elections. He died in the year 1978. Phulpur is remembered in electoral history as the constituency of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Very few people know that Nehru was not the only MP representing Uttar Pradesh seat at that time. In the 1950s, 86 Lok Sabha seats had “two-member” representation. At that time two MPs were elected from one seat. This practice was abolished in 1961. This practice was introduced mainly to ensure representation of SCs and STs in the early years of independence.
Nehru-Masooriyadin had reached Parliament by winning together from Phulpur.
When the 1952 Lok Sabha elections were held, Jawaharlal Nehru and Masuriyadeen won together from the Phulpur seat and reached the Parliament House. Masuriyadeen was born in a deprived Scheduled Caste family. He was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. He was attracted towards the national movement and joined the Congress Party at the insistence of Motilal Nehru. Masuriyadeen was jailed during the Salt Satyagraha (1930) and then in 1940 and 1942. He also ran a printing press, which was anti-colonial. He was in jail when his first wife Ram Pyari died. The jail authorities told him that if he stopped publishing anti-government articles, he would be allowed to attend the funeral. He refused to do so. Later his son Shashi Prakash was elected as a Janata Dal MP from Chail in Uttar Pradesh in 1991.
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Masuriadin established a Harijan hostel and nine Harijan primary schools in Allahabad. His message was to send at least one child of the family to school. In these schools, empty earthen pots (matki) will be kept outside the classroom. Parents would drop a handful of grains, vegetables or coins. That will be the teacher’s salary. His daughter’s name is Kamla Devi, who is the president of the National Women’s Wing of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). The daughter says, “Father played an important role in abolishing the Criminal Tribes Act, which stigmatized our community. This is the reason why his birthday is still celebrated by the Pasi community.
Tags: 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Loksabha Election 2024, Loksabha Elections
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 21, 2024, 18:31 IST