Sucheta Kriplani
Encyclopedia
Sucheta Kriplani (25 June 1908 – 1 December 1974), born Sucheta Mazumdar, was an India
n freedom fighter and politician in Uttar Pradesh
, India
. She became the first woman to be elected Chief Minister
of any Indian state.
, Haryana
to a Bengal
i family. Her father, S.N. Majumdar though a government doctor was a nationalist. Educated at Indraprastha College and St.Stephen's College, Delhi she became a lecturer at the Banaras Hindu University
. In 1936, she married socialist, Acharya Kriplani and became involved with the Indian National Congress
.
and Usha Mehta
, she came to the forefront during the Quit India Movement
. She later worked closely with Mahatma Gandhi
during the Partition
riots. She accompanied him to Noakhali in 1946. She was one of the few women who were elected to the Constituent Assembly and was part of the subcommittee that drafted the Indian Constitution. She became a part of the subcommittee that was handed over the task of laying down the charter for the constitution of India. On 15 August 1947 she sang Vande Mataram
in the Independence Session of the Constituent Assembly
.
in 1952 and 1957 from New Delhi constituency
and served as a Minister of State for Small Scale Industries. In 1962, she was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha
from Kanpur and served in the Cabinet in 1962. In 1963, she became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the first woman to hold that position in any Indian state. The highlight of her tenure was the firm handling of a state employees strike. The first-ever strike by the state employees which continued for 62 days took place during her regime. She relented only when the employees' leaders agreed for compromise. Although the wife of a socialist, Kriplani cemented her reputation as a firm administrator by refusing their demand for pay hike. In 1967, she was elected to the 4th Lok Sabha
from Gonda constituency
in Uttar Pradesh.
She retired from politics in 1971 and remained in seclusion till her death in 1974.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n freedom fighter and politician in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. She became the first woman to be elected Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
of any Indian state.
Early life
She was born in AmbalaAmbala
Ambala is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. Politically; Ambala has two sub-areas: Ambala Cantt and Ambala City, approximately 3 kilometers apart from each other...
, Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
to a Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
i family. Her father, S.N. Majumdar though a government doctor was a nationalist. Educated at Indraprastha College and St.Stephen's College, Delhi she became a lecturer at the Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
. In 1936, she married socialist, Acharya Kriplani and became involved with the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
.
Freedom Movement and Independence
Like her contemporaries Aruna Asaf AliAruna Asaf Ali
Aruna Asaf Ali , born Aruna Ganguli, was an Indian independence activist. She is widely remembered for hoisting the Indian National Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay during the Quit India Movement, 1942.She was 87 years old at the time of her death.-Early life:Aruna Asaf Ali was...
and Usha Mehta
Usha Mehta
Usha Mehta was a renowned Gandhian and freedom fighter of India. She is also remembered for organizing the Congress Radio, also called the Secret Congress Radio, an underground radio station, which functioned for few months during the Quit India Movement of 1942...
, she came to the forefront during the Quit India Movement
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement , or the August Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table...
. She later worked closely with Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
during the Partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
riots. She accompanied him to Noakhali in 1946. She was one of the few women who were elected to the Constituent Assembly and was part of the subcommittee that drafted the Indian Constitution. She became a part of the subcommittee that was handed over the task of laying down the charter for the constitution of India. On 15 August 1947 she sang Vande Mataram
Vande Mataram
Vande Mataram is a poem from the famed novel Anandamath which was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1882. It was written in Bengali and Sanskrit....
in the Independence Session of the Constituent Assembly
Constituent assembly
A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...
.
Post Independence
After independence she remained involved with politics in Uttar Pradesh. She was elected to the Lok SabhaLok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
in 1952 and 1957 from New Delhi constituency
New Delhi (Lok Sabha constituency)
New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 7 Lok Sabha constituencies in the Indian National Capital Territory of Delhi. This constituency came into existence in 1951.-Assembly segments:...
and served as a Minister of State for Small Scale Industries. In 1962, she was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha
Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha
The Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It has a total of 404 members including one Anglo-Indian member who is nominated by the Governor. Till 1967, it had a strength of 431 members including one nominated Anglo-Indian...
from Kanpur and served in the Cabinet in 1962. In 1963, she became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the first woman to hold that position in any Indian state. The highlight of her tenure was the firm handling of a state employees strike. The first-ever strike by the state employees which continued for 62 days took place during her regime. She relented only when the employees' leaders agreed for compromise. Although the wife of a socialist, Kriplani cemented her reputation as a firm administrator by refusing their demand for pay hike. In 1967, she was elected to the 4th Lok Sabha
4th Lok Sabha
List of Members of the 4th Lok Sabha, elected February–March 1967. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India.-Important members:* Speaker:**N...
from Gonda constituency
Gonda (Lok Sabha constituency)
Gonda Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh state in northern India.-Members of Parliament:*1952: Sucheta Kripalani, Indian National Congress*1957: Sucheta Kripalani, Indian National Congress...
in Uttar Pradesh.
She retired from politics in 1971 and remained in seclusion till her death in 1974.