Prafulla Chandra Sen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prafulla Chandra Sen
2nd Chief Minister of West Bengal
In office 2 July 1962 – 28 February 1967
Governor	Padmaja Naidu
Preceded by	Bidhan Chandra Roy
Succeeded by	Ajoy Mukherjee
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 1977–1980
Preceded by	Manoranjan Hazra
Succeeded by	Bijoy Krishna Modak
Constituency	Arambagh
Member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly
In office 1957–1962
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Krishna Pada Pandit
Constituency	Khanakul
In office 1962–1967
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Constituency	Arambagh East
In office 1969–1977
Preceded by	Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee
Succeeded by	Ajoy Kumar Dey
Constituency	Arambagh
Personal details
Born	(1897-04-10)10 April 1897 Senhati, Dighalia, Khulna, Bengal Presidency, India
Died	25 September 1990(1990-09-25) (aged 93) Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Political party	Janata Party
Other political affiliations	Indian National Congress(O) Indian National Congress
Alma mater	University of Calcutta
Occupation	Politician, Freedom fighter

Prafulla Chandra Sen (born April 10, 1897 – died September 25, 1990) was an important Indian politician. He was also a brave freedom fighter. He served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1962 to 1967. This means he was the main leader of the state government during those years.

Early Life and Inspiration

Prafulla Chandra Sen was born on April 10, 1897. His birthplace was a village called Senhati in the Khulna District of Bengal. He spent most of his childhood in Bihar, in Eastern India. He started his schooling there. Later, he earned a science degree from Scottish Church College in Calcutta.

After college, he planned to work in accounting in England. But his plans changed when he heard Mahatma Gandhi speak. This was at a Congress Party meeting in Calcutta in 1920. Gandhi's speech inspired him greatly. Sen decided to join India's fight for freedom instead. He supported Gandhi's call for a non-cooperation movement. This movement was a peaceful protest against British rule.

In 1923, Sen moved to Arambagh in the Hooghly district. This area became his special place for trying out Gandhi's ideas. These ideas included Swadeshi (using only Indian-made goods) and Satyagraha (peaceful resistance).

Fighting for Freedom

Joining the Freedom Struggle

Prafulla Chandra Sen quickly became deeply involved in the fight for India's independence. He was a strong supporter of the Indian National Congress Party. He led the freedom struggle against the British rulers. He was a true nationalist. This means he deeply loved his country. He believed in Gandhi's ideas of local democracy and villages being self-sufficient.

Gandhi's ideas had a huge impact on Sen. In the 1920s, he moved his work to Arambagh. This was an undeveloped area with many health problems like malaria. He worked tirelessly to make it better. Because of his hard work, people called him the Gandhi of Arambagh.

Years in Jail

Sen dedicated himself to the freedom struggle. He spent more than 10 years in different jails. This was between 1930 and 1942. He was arrested for his activities against the British. During this time, the Congress Party office in Serampore was his home. He earned almost no money. He owned very little, just a simple home-spun dhoti (a type of sarong) and a kurta (a loose shirt).

In the 1940s, the British allowed some democracy. Sen was elected to the Bengal Assembly from Arambagh in 1944. He became the deputy leader of the opposition party.

Leading West Bengal

After India's Independence

In 1948, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, who was then the Chief Minister of West Bengal, chose Sen to join his government. Sen became the Minister of Agriculture. He held this important job until 1967. He also worked as Roy's deputy. Many people saw him as the person who would take over after Roy.

After Roy passed away in 1962, Sen became West Bengal's third Chief Minister. Three years later, his government faced a big problem. There was a severe food shortage in the state. This happened because of a drought across the country.

Food Rationing and Challenges

At a meeting of Food Ministers in Delhi, Sen suggested a difficult idea. He wanted to start food rationing in cities. This meant people would get a limited amount of food. This was not a popular idea, but he believed it was necessary. Within months, he introduced food-grain rationing in West Bengal. This system, with some changes, is still used today.

To build up food supplies, he placed a heavy tax on rice mills. This made the business community unhappy. The lack of essential goods led to protests against the Congress Party. This was followed by violence and harsh actions by the police. These events made Sen's government even more isolated. In 1967, the Congress Party lost the West Bengal election to the Marxists. Sen also lost his own seat in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from Arambagh.

Later Political Life

After this defeat, Sen was re-elected to the West Bengal Assembly. However, he never held a high political office again. In the 1980s, he supported the idea of a democracy without political parties. This idea did not succeed. Even though he had left the Congress (I) party, he sometimes publicly supported it. He did not agree with its leaders, but he still believed in the party's goals.

His Legacy

Prafulla Chandra Sen was strongly against the ideas of Marxists. Interestingly, his own brother, Manindra Nath Sengupta, was a leader of the Communist Party. The brothers had very different political beliefs. However, both of them worked hard to improve the lives of poor people in India.

Sen helped to change the Congress Party in Bengal. He transformed it from a group fighting British rule into one that could win elections. It also became a party capable of governing the state well. In 1969, the Indian National Congress party split. The more powerful group was led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. It was called the Congress (I). Sen joined the smaller group, called the Congress (O).

By the 1980s, the Congress (O) had almost disappeared. Even though he was disappointed with the Congress (I) Party, he remained hopeful until the end. One of his last actions was just two weeks before he died. He took part in a march in Calcutta. He was in a wheelchair. The march was organized by the Congress (I) to protest against the state's government.

In 1967, he was defeated in Arambagh by another follower of Gandhi, Ajoy Mukherjee. Mukherjee then became the Chief Minister of West Bengal. Narayan Ch Ghosh, a student leader at the time, helped Mukherjee win. At Sen's 100th birthday celebration, Ghosh, who was then a professor, spoke. He said, "We must learn from Prafulla Chandra Sen's life. It is amazing how a man from Senhati became the Gandhi of Arambagh. Sen's dedication to society is a lesson for all of us."

Sen remained unmarried throughout his life. He lived a simple lifestyle. He strongly supported improving village industries. This included promoting home-spun cloth, known as khadi. For most of his later life, Sen wore only khadi clothes. A week before he died, he even sold khadi from a new shop to help open it.

He passed away in Calcutta on September 25, 1990. The Independent newspaper wrote about him on September 28, 1990. They said Sen was "a fiery freedom fighter from Bengal state in Eastern India. He later became the state's Chief Minister. He practiced a selfless and principled kind of politics. This kind of politics is largely forgotten in India today."