Hiteswar Saikia

Hiteswar Saikia (3 October 1934 – 22 April 1996) was an Indian politician who served as the 10th chief minister of Assam for two terms, firstly from 28 February 1983 to 23 December 1985 and then from 30 June 1991 to 22 April 1996.

Hiteswar Saikia was born on 3 October 1934 at Bogabagh Tea Estate to Haladhar Saikia (1896-1988) in a Ahom family.

His sister Aimoni married Membor Gogoi who served as Member of Assam Legislative Assembly for Teok.

From his childhood, Saikia was drawn to the non-cooperative movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi.

To join the movement he gave up going to school.

At that time, he was studying in Class IX only.

His father influenced his career at almost all the turning points of his early life.

It was his father who made him go to Lucknow for postgraduate studies where he earned an M.A. in history.

As a result of his father's matchmaking, Saikia married Hemoprabha, who succeeded Saikia as MLA of Nazira and became a minister in the First Tarun Gogoi cabinet.

Although Hiteswar Saikia was not in the front rank of the leadership when Assam had been swept by the tides of two big political movements, namely The Oil Refinery movement of 1958 and The State Language movement, by dint of his organising capacity he caught the attention of discerning eyes.

Saikia joined the 'All India Congress Committee' on 15 August 1964.

At that time, the responsibility of leading its youth wing was foisted upon him.

He became a very popular figure and contested the Assembly election from his home constituency at Nazira, a small township situated near the ancient capital of the Ahom kings at Gargaon in the district of Sivasagar, Assam.

When he was elected, he was included in the newly formed Sarat Chandra Sinha Ministry.

He was the Minister of State for Home, Education And public relations from 1972 to 1974 and the minister of Home from 1974 to 1978.

He represented the Nazira constituency in the Assam Legislative Assembly from 1972 to 1988 and again from 1991 to 1996.

He was given a junior rank as a minister of state and was given the three portfolios of Home, Education and Public relations in 1972.

While he was still the Vice Principal of the college where he had taught history, he thrice was to hold the education portfolio: under the chief minister of Sarat Chandra Sinha, it was from May 1972 to March 1974; under a stop-gap Chief Minister, Syeda Anwara Taimur from December 1980 to June 1981 and under yet another stop-gap Chief Minister, Keshab Gogoi, between January and March 1982.

In 1974 the Chief Minister, Mr. Sarat Chandra Sinha upgraded him to a full scale minister of Cabinet rank with the all-important Home portfolio entrusted to him.

This was a turning point in his career.

He was the education minister in the Government of Assam from and from 1980 to 1981 and again from 1982 to 1982.

Just a few months before the withdrawal of the President's rule in Assam, Saikia parted ways with Sarat Chandra Sinha and he joined Congress (I) in 1980.

Saikia was sounded out as to his taking the leadership of the party on several occasions and declined.

Saikia's political maturity and organising ability eventually caught the eye of Indira Gandhi.

When the expiry date of President's rule was approaching, a constitutional crisis appeared on Assam's political horizon.

Indira Gandhi came to Assam to study the whole situation occurring.

During the Ministry of Keshab Chandra Gogoi, Saikia was in charge of the Education portfolio.

He introduced far reaching changes in Assam's field of education.

First he created a separate 'Directorate for Elementary Education'.

Secondly, he introduced the idea of what is termed 'provincialization of high schools'.

In the wake of provincialisation, about 2,500 privately run government-aided high schools came under the direct administration of the government, benefitting both students and teachers financially.

He made liberal grants available towards the appointment of many teachers in language subjects.

He also made far-reaching changes towards raising the status of police officers and of ordinary constables.

He revamped the department, ridding it of the hangovers of the British regime, transforming it into a battalion of uniformed persons who are sentinels of law.

He established the Forensic Laboratory at Guwahati, the capital of Assam and set up the 'single digit fingerprint bureau'.

He turned his attention toward bifurcating the Criminal Intelligence Department and creating a Special Branch of it to be run independently.

He then improved the functioning of the 'Assam Police Radio Organization' by modernising its equipment.

Finally, he established a separate training centre for the armed police.

He was the 1st Governor of Mizoram from 1987 to 1989 and the 6th Lieutenant Governor of Mizoram from 1986 to 1987.

His eldest son Debabrata Saikia came into the politics in 2011 and is the current leader of the opposition in Assam Legislative Assembly.