J. B. Kripalani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani
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Kripalani on a 1989 stamp of India
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| Born | 11 November 1888 |
| Died | 19 March 1982 (aged 93) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Political party | Indian National Congress, Praja Socialist Party |
| Movement | Indian Independence Movement |
| Spouse(s) | Sucheta Kripalani |
Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani (born November 11, 1888 – died March 19, 1982) was an important Indian politician. People often called him Acharya Kripalani. He was the president of the Indian National Congress when India became independent in 1947. He was married to Sucheta Kripalani, who was also a famous politician.
Kripalani cared about the environment and was a deep thinker. He was a strong supporter of Mahatma Gandhi and his ideas for India's freedom. He worked for a long time as a socialist, believing in equal rights and sharing wealth. Later in his life, he joined a different political party.
He became very close to Gandhi and was one of his most dedicated followers. Kripalani worked as the General Secretary of the Indian National Congress for nearly ten years. He had a lot of experience in education. He was chosen to lead the Congress party after India gained independence.
Kripalani was well-known for speaking out against unfair rules. He was involved in many protests, from the Non-Cooperation Movement in the 1920s to the Indian Emergency in the 1970s.
Contents
Early Life and Freedom Fight
Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani was born in Hyderabad, in a region called Sindh, in 1888. After studying at Fergusson College in Pune, he became a school teacher. He joined the freedom movement when Gandhi returned to India from South Africa.
From 1912 to 1917, Kripalani taught English and history at L.S. College in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. He took part in the Non-Cooperation Movement in the early 1920s. This movement encouraged Indians not to cooperate with British rule.
Kripalani worked in Gandhi's special communities, called ashrams, in Gujarat and Maharashtra. There, he helped with social improvements and education. Later, he went to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to teach and set up new ashrams. He was arrested many times for protesting against the British Raj (British rule in India). He also published writings that encouraged people to resist British control.
Becoming a Congress Leader
Kripalani joined the All India Congress Committee in 1928–29. This was a very important group within the Indian National Congress. He became its general secretary.
For over ten years, Kripalani played a big role in the Congress party. He helped organize major protests like the Salt Satyagraha and the Quit India Movement. The Salt Satyagraha was a famous march led by Gandhi to protest the British tax on salt. The Quit India Movement demanded that the British leave India immediately.
Kripalani was part of India's temporary government from 1946 to 1947. He also served in the group that wrote India's constitution. During this time, he supported dividing Bengal and the Punjab into separate parts. This was instead of keeping them united, as some others suggested.
He had been the General Secretary of the Indian National Congress for 12 years. Because of his experience in education, he was chosen to lead the party. However, he had disagreements with the government over how things should be done. This affected his relationships with other leaders in the government.
Leading the Congress Party
Kripalani was chosen as the Congress President in 1947. This was a very important time as India was becoming independent. He had different ideas from both Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru, who were also major leaders.
After Gandhi was assassinated in January 1948, Kripalani wanted the party to have a say in all government decisions. But Nehru, with Patel's support, disagreed. They told Kripalani that the party could set general rules. However, it could not decide on the government's daily work. This idea became very important for how the government and ruling party worked together later on.
In 1950, Nehru supported Kripalani for the Congress President election. But Kripalani lost to Purushottam Das Tandon, who was supported by Patel. After this defeat, Kripalani felt disappointed. He believed the party was moving away from Gandhi's vision of self-governing villages. So, Kripalani left the Congress party. He helped start a new party called the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party. This party later joined with another to form the Praja Socialist Party.
Later Political Life
Kripalani spent the rest of his life as an opposition leader. This means he was part of parties that were not in power. He was elected to the Lok Sabha (India's main parliament house) several times. He won elections in 1952, 1957, 1963, and 1967.
His wife, Sucheta Kripalani, also became a very successful politician. She briefly joined the party Kripalani founded. But she later returned to the Congress party and held several important government positions. She even became the first female Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
J.B. Kripalani and his wife, Sucheta, often disagreed in Parliament. However, they both agreed on one thing: they did not like parts of the Hindu Marriage Act. This law had a clause that allowed a divorced person to force their former partner to return to their marriage. Kripalani strongly spoke against this, saying it was "physically undesirable, morally unwanted and aesthetically disgusting."
Kripalani also believed that Parliament should have power over the press. Once, a newspaper called Blitz made fun of Kripalani. The Lok Sabha called the editor to explain himself. This showed how important Parliament's reputation was.
In August 1963, Kripalani moved the first-ever No confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. This happened right after the difficult India-China War. A no-confidence motion is a way for the opposition to show they do not trust the government.
Final Years and Legacy
Kripalani continued to criticize the policies of Nehru and his daughter, Indira Gandhi. He also worked for social causes and protecting the environment.
As he got older, Kripalani became more of a spiritual guide for socialists. Many people saw him and Vinoba Bhave as the main leaders of those who still followed Gandhi's ideas. They both worked to preserve nature and traditions in the 1970s.
In 1972–73, he spoke out against Indira Gandhi, who was then the Prime Minister of India. Kripalani and Jayaprakash Narayan felt that her rule was becoming too strict and undemocratic. When she was found guilty of using government resources for her election, it made many people angry. Kripalani and Jayaprakash Narayan traveled across India. They encouraged people to protest peacefully and refuse to obey unfair laws.
When the Emergency was declared in 1975, Kripalani was one of the first opposition leaders to be arrested. He was in his eighties at the time. He lived to see the Emergency end and the first non-Congress government come to power in 1977. Kripalani and Jayaprakash Narayan helped choose Morarji Desai to be the new Prime Minister.
Acharya Kripalani passed away on March 19, 1982, in Ahmedabad. He was 93 years old.
In the 1982 movie Gandhi, an Indian actor named Anang Desai played J.B. Kripalani.
His life story, called My Times, was published in 2004. In the book, he said that many of his fellow Congress members were "morally cowardly." This was because they accepted the plan to divide India. He believed only Ram Manohar Lohia, Mahatma Gandhi, and Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan truly stood against it.
To honor him, the Indian Postal Department released a special stamp on November 11, 1989. This was to mark his 101st birthday.
Interesting Fact
Acharya Kripalani was born on the same day as Maulana Azad. Maulana Azad was also a very important freedom fighter. Kripalani took over from Maulana Azad as the President of the Indian National Congress in 1946.
See also
- Indian Nationalism, Gandhism, Indian Independence Movement
- Indian National Congress, Indian Emergency
Biography
- Ram Bahadur Rai, Shaswat Vidrohi Rajneta: Acharya J.B. Kripalani, National Book Trust, India, 2013.
