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{{Short description|2nd Premier of Assam}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Gopinath Bordoloi
| honorific-suffix =
| image = File:Gopinath Bordoloi.jpg
| imagesize =
| order = 1st
| office = Chief Minister of Assam
| governor = Sir [[Andrew Gourlay Clow]] [[Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari]] Ronald Francis Lodge {{small|(Acting)}} [[Sri Prakasa]] [[Jairamdas Daulatram]]
| term_start = 11 February 1946
| term_end = 5 August 1950
| predecessor = ''Office Established''
| successor = [[Bishnu Ram Medhi]]
| office2 = Chairman of [[North-East Frontier Tribal Areas and Assam Excluded & Partially Excluded Areas Sub-Committee]]
| term_start2 =
| term_end2 =
| leader2 = [[Vallabhbhai Patel]]
| predecessor2 = '''Office Established'''
| successor2 =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1890|06|06}} <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=jun0918/state051|title=Lokpriya's 129th birth anniversary celebrated at Raha|publisher=The Assam Tribune}}{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Raha, Assam|Raha]], [[Assam Province|Assam]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1950|8|5|1890|06|10}}
| death_place = [[Guwahati]], [[Assam]], [[India]]
| spouse = Surawala Bordoloi
| party = [[Indian National Congress]]
| relations =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater = [[Cotton University]] [[University of Calcutta]]
| occupation = Politician, writer
| awards = [[Bharat Ratna]] (1999)
| profession =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Gopinath Bordoloi''' (6 June 1890 – 5 August 1950) was a politician and [[Freedom fighters of India|Indian independence activist]] who served as the first [[Chief Minister of Assam]]. He was a follower of the [[Mohandas K. Gandhi|Gandhian]] principle of non-violence as a political tool. Due to his unselfish dedication towards Assam and its people, the then Governor of [[Assam]] Jayram Das Doulatram conferred him with the title "Lokapriya" (loved by all).

==Early life and education==

Gopinath Bordoloi was born on 6 June 1890 at Raha.<ref name="Gopinath Reference1">{{cite news |last1=Yash |first1=Mishra |title=Gopinath Bordoloi: Saving Assam, a Fight to the Finish |url=https://www.livehistoryindia.com/history-daily/2020/02/23/gopinath-bordoloi-saving-assam-a-fight-to-the-finish |access-date=20 February 2021 |work=www.livehistoryindia.com |publisher=www.livehistoryindia.com |date=23 February 2020 |language=en |archive-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227115330/https://www.livehistoryindia.com/history-daily/2020/02/23/gopinath-bordoloi-saving-assam-a-fight-to-the-finish |url-status=dead }}</ref> His father was Buddheswar Bordoloi and mother Praneswari Bordoloi. He lost his mother when he was only 12 years old. He got admitted in [[Cotton College, Guwahati|Cotton College]] (then an affiliated college of the [[University of Calcutta]], now a separate autonomous university) after passing matriculation in 1907. He passed I.A. in 1st Div. In 1909 and took admission in the renowned [[Scottish Church College]] (also affiliated to the University of Calcutta) and graduated in 1911. He then passed M.A. from the University of Calcutta in 1914. He studied Law for three years but came back to Guwahati without sitting in the final examination. Then on request of [[Tarun Ram Phukan]], he took up the temporary job as Headmaster of Sonaram High School.<ref name="Gopinath Reference2">{{cite news |last1=Yash |first1=Mishra |title=Gopinath Bordoloi: Saving Assam, a Fight to the Finish |url=https://www.livehistoryindia.com/history-daily/2020/02/23/gopinath-bordoloi-saving-assam-a-fight-to-the-finish |access-date=20 February 2021 |work=www.livehistoryindia.com |publisher=Live History India |date=23 February 2020 |language=en |archive-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227115330/https://www.livehistoryindia.com/history-daily/2020/02/23/gopinath-bordoloi-saving-assam-a-fight-to-the-finish |url-status=dead }}</ref> During that period, he sat and passed in the Law examination and started practicing in 1917 in Guwahati.<ref name="Gopinath Reference2" />

==Political life==
The Assam Association was the only political organisation of Assam in that period. [[Assam Congress]] was formed in 1921 as a branch of the [[Indian National Congress]]. Gopinath Bordoloi's [[political life]] started when he joined the [[Indian National Congress]] as a volunteer in that year. He actively participated in the fight for independence. He was arrested in 1922 due to active participation in the [[Non-co-operation movement]] and was put in jail for a year. When the movement was called off following the [[Chauri Chaura incident]], he went back to practising law. From 1930 to 1933, he kept himself away from all political activity and got involved in various social works after becoming member of [[Guwahati]] [[Municipal board|Municipal Board]] and Local Board. In addition, he was constantly demanding a separate University and High Court for Assam.

In 1935 [[Government of India Act 1935|Government of India Act]] was articulated with a view to form [[British India]]. Congress decided to participate in the Regional Assembly election in 1936. They won 38 seats and became the party with majority in Assembly, but due to a dubious law meant to reduce the power of Ministers and the Cabinet, they decided to remain as opposition party instead of forming the government. Gopinath Bordoloi was elected as the leader of the opposition party. With the support of other parties apart from Congress, Md. Sadulla formed the Cabinet of Ministers. The Congress party was gaining people's support as the government remained unaware of the basic problems of [[Assam]]. The Md. Sadulla Cabinet Ministers resigned in September 1938. The Governor then invited Gopinath Bordoloi to form the government and accordingly they took oath on 21 September.<ref name="autogenerated1999">Kuri Shatikar Kurijan Bishista Asamiya, Editors-Sharma, Dr. Pranati and Sharma, Anil. Journal Emporium, 1999</ref>

The reasons of Gopinath Bordoloi becoming [[Chief Minister]]<ref>[http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=sep2113/at09 Assam absorbed 3,000 E Pakistani employees]. ''The Assam Tribune Online'' (21 September 2013). Retrieved on 6 December 2018.</ref> of undivided Assam were his political prowess, superb personality, truthfulness and behaviour which attracted not only his colleagues but also people of various communities. Congress got recognition as a powerful political party in Assam by virtue of his ability and intelligence. His contributions as Chief Minister were mainly to stop [[Land Tax]], stop giving lands to migrant [[Muslims]] to secure the right of indigenous people etc.

The new government did not last long as [[World War II]] began in 1939. Gopinath Bordoloi's Cabinet resigned in 1940 following an appeal by [[Mohandas K. Gandhi]]. He was arrested again in December 1940. However, he was released before completing one year in jail due to ill health. When [[Quit India movement]] was launched in August 1942, the Congress party was declared outlawed and all leaders were arrested.

In the meantime, Md. Sadulla formed the government with the promise to help British in World War II and indulged again in communal activities. Gopinath Bordoloi was released from jail in 1944 and he straightaway started opposing the government with the help of other leaders. [[Md. Sadulla]] then offered to discuss the matters. An agreement was reached which included immediate release of all political prisoners, removing the ban on procession or meeting, correcting the process of rehabilitation of migrant Muslims, etc.

In July 1945, the British announced their decision to form a new [[Constitution of India|constitution for India]] after holding the central and regional election. Congress too participated in the election in 1946 and they became the major party in Assembly with 61 seats out of 108. They formed the Government and Gopinath Bordoloi was made [[Chief Minister]] unanimously.

==Cabinet commission and Bordoloi's role==
[[File:Gopinath Bordoloi 1991 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|Bordoloi on a 1991 stamp of India]]
The [[British Government]] formed a [[Cabinet Commission]] in 1946 to discuss the demands for [[Indian independence movement|Indian Independence]]. The members held meetings with the Congress and the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]] in Shimla and Delhi. Their plan included grouping of states into 3 categories for selecting the candidates to form the constitutional body with Assam and [[Bengal]] in third group. Gopinath Bordoloi sensed the ominous sign for Assam in the plan as the inclusion would mean the local representatives will become minority in comparison to Bengal. That would be devastating for rights of people of Assam.

The Assam Pradesh Congress committee decided to go against the grouping plan. Gopinath Bordoloi told the [[Indian National Congress]] working committee, Cabinet committee and the [[Viceroy]] that the representatives of Assam will form the Constitution of Assam themselves and will decide whether to join the group or not among themselves. Subsequently, the Cabinet commission announced that the grouping will be mandatory for every state and they may later withdraw from the group if they want. This further complicated the situation. Bordoloi met the Indian National Congress leaders to discuss it with no result. He then, with the [[Assam Congress]] Committee, decided to start mass agitation in Assam. Only after this, the Indian National Congress working committee advised them to pass a unanimous decision in Assembly. Later, the members of the Assembly suggested a working formula in which ten representatives from Assam would form their own constitution without joining any group and would merge with national committee to form the Indian constitution.

In 1947, Lord Mountbatten took over as new Viceroy. He held separate meetings with the Muslim League, Congress and Mahatma Gandhi. They decided to go for Partition as a permanent solution instead of grouping. India and [[Pakistan]] became separate independent countries.

Thus, Gopinath Bordoloi played a major role in securing the future of Assam which would have been included in East Pakistan otherwise.<ref name="autogenerated1999"/>

==Contribution as Chief Minister==
After [[India's independence|India's Independence]], he worked closely with [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]] to secure the sovereignty of [[Assam]] against [[People's Republic of China|China]] on one hand and [[Pakistan]] on the other. He also helped to organise the rehabilitation of millions of [[Hindu]] refugees who had fled [[East Pakistan]] due to widespread violence and intimidation in the aftermath of [[Partition of India|Partition]]. His work formed the basis for ensuring communal harmony, democracy and stability which effectively kept Assam secure and progressive right up to the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|1971 war over Bangladesh's independence]]. He was instrumental in establishing Gauhati University, [[High Court of Assam and Nagaland|High Court of Assam]], [[Assam Medical College]], Assam Veterinary College, etc. Gopinath Bordoloi was also a gifted writer. He wrote several books like ''Annasaktiyog'', ''Shreeramachandra'', ''Hajrat Mohammad'', and ''Budhhadeb'' while in jail. Throughout his life, he was a stern believer in Gandhian principles. He led a simple life in spite of being a [[Chief Minister]]. He died on 5 August 1950.

==Awards and recognition==
Former Prime Minister [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] conferred upon him the [[Bharat Ratna]] posthumously in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|title=Padma Awards Directory (1954–2007) |url=http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/PadmaAwards1954-2007.pdf |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs |access-date=7 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410024701/http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/PadmaAwards1954-2007.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2009}}</ref> A life-size statue of Bordoloi was unveiled on 1 October 2002 in the [[Parliament House (India)|Parliament House]] by the [[President of India]], [[A.P.J. Abdul Kalam]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2002/10/02/stories/2002100201400900.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113033248/http://www.thehindu.com/2002/10/02/stories/2002100201400900.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 January 2016|title=President unveils statues of eminent leaders|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=1 October 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/intro/p2.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070908004533/http://www.parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/intro/p2.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 September 2007|title=PARLIAMENT HOUSE ESTATE|publisher=parliamentofindia.nic.in}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Nirode Kumar Barooah: [https://barooah.de/home/books/gopinath-bardoloi ''Gopinath Bardoloi, 'The Assam Problem' and Nehru's Centre'']. Bhabani Books 2010, ISBN 978-9380390536

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gopinath Bordoloi}}
* http://www.assam.org/node/2363

{{Chief Ministers of Assam}}
{{Bharat Ratna}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bordoloi, Gopinath}}
[[Category:1890 births]]
[[Category:1950 deaths]]
[[Category:Scottish Church College alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna]]
[[Category:Chief Ministers of Assam]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Assam]]
[[Category:University of Calcutta alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the Constituent Assembly of India]]
[[Category:People from Nagaon district]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Opposition in Assam]]
[[Category:Chief ministers from Indian National Congress]]
[[Category:Cotton College, Guwahati alumni]]

Gopinath Bordoloi - Revision history

UpdateBot at 11:27, 28 April 2022