Sarat Chandra Sinha

Sarat Chandra Sinha (1 January 1914 – 25 December 2005) was an Indian politician and Chief Minister of Assam.

He was a leader of Indian National Congress, Indian National Congress (Socialist) and Nationalist Congress Party.

He was known for his value-based politics, Sinha belonged to a rare breed of politicians who sacrificed his life for the welfare of the downtrodden people of Indian society.

A true Gandhian, he never compromised with his principle what he preached and practised.

His illustrious political life was a rare combination of honesty, simplicity and integrity.

He was also a writer.

Sinha was born in a Rajbanshi family in Bhakatpara village of Chapar under Dhubri district.

He belongs to a farmer family.

Sinha started schooling from his village school.

For secondary education, he attended a High school in Bilasipara known as indra narayan academy higher secondary school, some 25 km from his home, a distance what he covered daily on foot or by bicycle.

Sinha's father, Lalsingh Sinha ensured that his son always carried his slate and pencil while accompanying him to the paddy fields.

Sinha learnt his arithmetic tables by counting his and his father's footsteps to the weekly village market.

“Sometimes he would ask me to multiply the footsteps, sometimes divide,” Sinha had said, recalling his childhood in a lengthy interview with All India Radio, Guwahati.

He received his bachelor's degree from the Cotton College, Guwahati and subsequently moved to Banaras Hindu University for law education.

After getting a law degree, Sinha came back to Guwahati and practised law for a short period and then switched to school teachings.

Sinha began his career as a science teacher in a rural school after quitting his MSc in Kolkata in 1940.

He was a true Gandhian who wore khadi, and taught his students the art of making paper from straw, and was later in different positions from assistant teacher to headmaster in Dhubri district.

Sinha entered politics rather by accident.

He was elected to the Dhubri local board in 1945 and was later taken to Guwahati by veteran Congress leader Mahendra Mohan Choudhury (who later served as Chief Minister of Assam), who then got him a Congress ticket to contest the state Assembly election of 1946.

The party had given him Rs 750 as election campaign expenses, but on completion of the campaign, he duly went and returned Rs 250 that remained unspent.

He was elected to Assam Legislative assembly four times from Bilasipara east constituency in 1946–52, 1962–67, 1972–78 and 1985–90.

He was first made an interim Chief Minister in 1972 by Indira Gandhi and subsequently became an elected chief minister and served till 1978.

He also served the Congress Party in various positions and capacities like the general secretary, vice-president, and president.

Sinha faced some challenging task in his tenure of chief minister-ship like shifting the state capital from Shillong to Dispur, when Meghalaya was carved out of Assam along with Shillong and the language agitation in 1972, which rocked the state, a demand for the introduction of Assamese as the sole medium of instruction in Assam.

He engaged unemployed local youth in the construction work of temporary Capital at Dispur.

He took the decision to strengthen the Public Distribution System as a result 13,615 Nos.

of Fair Price shop were established in Assam.

Through these Shops, essential commodities were distributed among the weaker section of the people.

He also distributed land to the landless people and help a lot to get bank loan for cultivation.

He also started medium irrigation system like Kaldiya, Dekadang, Bardikariya, Jojloi Gaon, Kolong river irrigation scheme etc. In his regime power project in Assam increased up to 43 per cent due to establishment of Boanigaon, Kapili, Lakuwa, Longpi, Bongaigaon thermal project.

He was instrumental in setting up the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital and Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited.

He believed in decentralisation of power and introduced Panchayati Raj in the State for the welfare of the backward communities.

He also sowed the seeds of the cooperative movement in Assam to boost State's economy.

The main grounds on which Gaurisankar Bhattacharyya tabled a No-confidence Motion against the Government of Sinha were: 1.

profession and practice of the Government had proved to be diametrically opposite; 2.

the basic necessities of life had not been assured to the masses; 3.

the problem of unemployment had become more acute; 4.

prices of essential commodities had risen to unprecedented and spiralling heights; (v) abuse of official positions for securing pecuniary and other benefits; 5.

misappropriation of funds of the State; and (vi) maladministration in matters of public services.

However, he later joined Indian National Congress (Socialist) after the emergency era which was imposed by Indira Gandhi and became the national president of it in 1987.