Mehr Chand Khanna

Mehr Chand Khanna (Pashto: مهر شنص خنها) (b. June 1, 1897 - d. July 20, 1970) was an Indian politician who served as the Union Minister for Rehabilitation from 1954 to 1962 and Law Minister from 1954 to 1957.

Early life and education

Mehr Chand Khanna was born in Peshawar on June 1, 1897 to Karam Chand Khanna, a rich businessman.^[1] He had his schooling in Peshawar and graduated from Edwardes College, Peshawar. Khanna also graduated in law and practised for a time as a lawyer.

Politcs

Mehr Chand Khanna entered politics at an early age and founded the Hindu Sabha. He served for some time as a member of the Frontier Crimes Regulations Enquiry Committee set up by the Government of India.^[2]

In 1932, he was elected to the North West Frontier Province Assembly from the Peshawar Cantonment constituency as a member of the Hindu-Sikh Nationalist Party. When the Frontier National COngress captured power in the province in the 1937 elections and Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan became the Premier, Khanna, whose party was in winning alliance, was made the Minister of Finance. Khanna was the only Hindu minister in the cabinet. He was also the only cabinet minister who was not related to Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.

Khanna served as the Minister of Finance from 1937 to 1939, when Congress ministries all over India resigned in protest against Britain's declaration of war against Germany. He also served as Minister of Finance in the second Frontier Congress cabinet which ruled from 1945 to 1947.

Arrest

Khanna was serving as a cabinet minister in the NWFP government when the dominion of Pakistan was formed on August 14, 1947. However, the government was dismissed soon afterwards.

In January 1948 Khanna was arrested along with Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan on charges of possessing firearms and lodged in Peshawar jail.^[3]The Indian government sent Anglo-Indian lawyer Frank Anthony to secure his release as no Hindu lawyer was willing to travel to Pakistan. Upon his release Khanna migrated to India and settled down in Delhi.

In the Indian government

Khanna participated in the Lok Sabha elections in independent India and was elected from the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. He served as Minister of Rehabilitation in the Jawaharlal Nehru cabinet from 1954 to 1962. Being a refugee himself, he is believed to have handled the refugee problem well. From 1954 to 1957, he also handled the law portfolio. During the 1960s, he was also giving the portfolio of housing.

Death

Khanna died on July 20, 1970 in Delhi at the age of 73.

Notes

1. ^ Who's who, Vol 13. Lok Sabha. 1962. pp. 237. 
2. ^ M. Pattabhiraman (1967). General election in India 1967: an exhaustive study of main political trends. Allied Publishers. pp. 399. 
3. ^ Erland Jansson (1981). India, Pakistan or Pakhtunistan?: the nationalist movements in the North-West Frontier Province, 1937-47. ISBN 9155411460, ISBN 9789155411466. 

References

• The Times of India directory and year book including who's who. Bennett, Coleman & Co.. 1963. pp. 1134.