Master Gurbanta Singh

Master Gurbanta Singh (4 August 1904 – 5 February 1980) was an Indian politician, educationist and social reformer from Punjab, India.

Master Gurbanta Singh
Member of Legislative Assembly
ConstituencyKartarpur
Personal details
Born(1904-08-04)4 August 1904
Dhaliwal, Jalandhar, Punjab, British India
Died5 February 1980(1980-02-05) (aged 75)
Jalandhar, Punjab, India
Political partyINC
SpouseSampuran Kaur
Children4 sons

Chaudhary Jagjit Singh Balbir Singh

Chaudhary Santokh Singh

Ravinder Singh
ResidenceJalandhar
As of 24 May, 2020

He was a former member of the Unionist Party and then Indian National Congress.[1] Master Gurbanta Singh was one of the tallest Dalit leaders of Punjab.[2]

Early life

Master Gurbanta Singh was born in Dhaliwal village, Jullundur, Punjab, in British India. He completed his education at Jalandhar and became a school teacher at Sain Dass A.S Senior Secondary School (Jalandhar).

His political career started when he became village sarpanch. After the influence of the Ad Dharm movement, he declared himself Ad Dharmi in the 1931 census along with other Dalits of Punjab, especially in Doaba.[3]

Ad-Dharm Movement

In the mid-1920s, Gurbanta Singh came into contact with Mangu Ram Mugowalia, a fellow caste man and also a founder member of the Ghadar Party. Mangu Ram had started the Ad-Dharm movement and established many mandals in the Doaba region of Punjab, where Dalits formed a major share of the population. Although in the initial years, Singh's closeness to the movement was because of oppression and illiteracy among Dalits of Punjab, later, he fully got involved in this social movement and became General Secretary of Ad-Dharm Mandal of Jalandhar.[4] Both Mangu Ram and Gurbanta Singh took the Ad-Dharm movement to its zenith, and it became the most successful Dalit reform movement in North India. At the same time, he joined Unionist Party and fought the election unsuccessfully.[5]

After years of long contributions to the movement but due to differences with Seth Kishan Dass, another prominent leader of the Ad-Dharm movement, he left the Mandal and became active in politics.

Politics

Master Gurbanta Singh again fought elections from Jullundur (Reserved Seat) and became successful. He was made Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana (Premier of Punjab).[6]

In 1947, India gained independence, and he joined Indian National Congress. He fought elections in 1952 and 1957 also but lost elections. In 1962, he won from the Kartarpur constituency and was chosen as a Minister in the Cabinet of Chief Minister Pratap Singh Kairon from 1956 to 1964.[7]

He became Agriculture Minister of Punjab and played an instrumental role in establishing Punjab Agricultural University (Ludhiana), which paved the way for the Green Revolution in India and was a key player in the construction of the Bhakra Dam.[8]

In the 1972 Punjab Assembly Elections, Gurbanta Singh was elected unopposed and joined the Ministry of Giani Zail Singh (former Chief Minister of Punjab). He became a Member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly six times and slowly became known as the biggest Dalit leader of Punjab. In those times, even the Republican Party of India, founded by Dr B R Ambedkar himself became small in front of his stature.

Gurbanta's political clan

Master Gurbanta's family is known to be one of Punjab's most prominent political families. His elder son, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, became his successor who became a Zila Parishad member of Jalandhar and later became a five-time MLA from Kartarpur constituency and then a Minister in the cabinets of Beant Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Amarinder Singh. His son Chaudhary Surinder Singh also became an MLA and a Zila Parshad member.[9]

Gurbanta's youngest son, Santokh Singh Chaudhary, became his real political successor even without his declaration and became MLA of Phillaur and then Member of Parliament from Jalandhar. He was also made Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Vice-President of Punjab Congress, four times Cabinet Minister in Punjab govt., and a member of Central Board of Film Certification.[10]

His wife, Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary, retired as Director of Public Instruction (Colleges) in the Government of Punjab and was earlier a principal of Govt. Sports and Arts College (Jalandhar). Their son Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary is currently MLA of Phillaur and has served as the President of Punjab Youth Congress and General Secretary of PPCC.[11][12]

Legacy

Master Gurbanta Singh Memorial Janta College at Kartarpur, Punjab (India) was established by him and was later renamed after him. Master Gurbanta Singh Marg at Basti Bawa Khel in Jalandhar is named after him.[13]

Master Gurbanta Singh is known as a Dalit stalwart in Punjab politics, and today, Dalits are one of the politically most strong communities in Punjab due to his works.

See also

References
  1. Narayan, Badri (18 April 2014). Kanshiram: Leader of the Dalits. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-93-5118-670-0.
  2. "Dalit icons of Punjab: The all-powerful Chaudharys of Doaba". Hindustan Times. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  3. "What it means to be a Dalit in Punjab".
  4. "Ad dharm movement and role of master gurbanta singh" (PDF). shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in.
  5. "Tributes paid to Master Gurbanta Singh Ji on his 38th death anniversary". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  6. "Ex-minister Master Gurbanta remembered". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  7. Arora, Subhash Chander (1 January 1990). President's Rule in Indian States: A Study of Punjab. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-234-9.
  8. "Former Punjab Minister Master Gurbanta Singh remembered on his death anniversary". YesPunjab. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  9. "Dalit icons of Punjab: The all-powerful Chaudharys of Doaba". Hindustan Times. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  10. Singh, IP (12 February 2019). "Second-generation politician looks for second term as Jalandhar MP | Ludhiana News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  11. "No 'son'rise yet for Chaudhary family". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  12. "Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary: This golfer has big plans for Punjab's Phillaur". The Indian Express. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  13. Pawar, Ishwar Das (30 November 2015). My Struggle in Life. Page Publishing Inc. ISBN 978-1-68213-156-5.
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