Basawon Singh (Sinha)

Basawon Singh (Sinha) was born in a Bhumihar Brahmin family in Jamalpur (Subhai), Hajipur on March 23, 1909. [cite book
first = Kumar
last = Lalit
title = Shramikon Ke Hitaishi Neta, Itihas Purush: Basawon Singh
publisher = Bihar Hindi Granth Academy
location = Patna
year = 2000] He used to walk eight miles to go to the nearest school to get education. His formal education came to an abrupt end when he was rusticated from college in just after completing his matriculate because of joining the Nationalist Movement.

Entry into freedom movement

He first participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement after Gandhi's visit to Hajipur in 1920-21 when he was only 13 years old.

Becomes a revolutionary

He joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army headed by Yogendra Shukla in 1925. He absconded in 1929 after the famous Lahore Conspiracy Case. He was co-accused in many conspiracy cases namely Bhusawal, Kakori, Tirhut and Deluaha cases. He carried on the movement along with Chandrashekhar Azad and Keshav Chandra Chakravarty. He was arrested and thrown in Bankipore Central jail (June, 1930) from where he escaped on the third day, but was rearrested. He was served a seven -year sentence when he undertook a 57-day hunger-strike against the imposition of cross-bar fetters in jails. He was released in June, 1936 due to frail health due to his fasting.

Joined Congress Socialist Party and begins Trade Union work

He Joined CSP in December,1936 and was appointed its labour secretary. He established trade unions in the coal fields, sugar mills, mica mines and railways of Bihar. He formed Japla labour union in 1937, Baulia Labour union in 1937, organized the workers of Jamalpur Workshop along with Shivnath Bannerjee, formed the Gaya cotton and Jute Mill Labour Union, formed the Tata Collieries Labour Association along with Subhash Chandra Bose, went on to become its president when Bose left India in 1941. He organized coal workers of Talcher with close co-ordination and support of Dukhabandhu Mishra (founder member of HMS union in Talcher coalfields), Rajgangpur (Orissa) and Satna (MP); established Mica Workers Union, Gomia Labour Union (Explosives), later these unions affiliated to HMS. He was active in AIRF since 1936, president of OT Railway Union from Agra to Nefa and NE Railway Mazdoor Union.

He was rearrested in April, 1937 along with Jayaprakash Narayan, Benipuri and others in Patna for "unconstitutional" works for six months. During the Second World War he was the first man in Bihar to be arrested under Defence of India Ordinance on 26 January, 1940 in Husainabad, Palamu and released after eighteen months. During the Quit India Movement, after the interception of Jayaprakash Narayan's Deoli letter addressed to him, he went underground in 1941 and went to Afghanistan to collect firearms and ammunition. He attended the Bombay AICC session (9 August, 1942) and conducted the movement from the underground. He was held in Delhi on January 8, 1943 to be freed only on 3 April, 1946 after which he continued his nationalist and Trade Union work.

In Independent India

One of the architects of the Socialist Party after its break with the Congress. He was a member of the National Executive of the Socialist Party. He is the founder of HMS (Hind Mazdoor Sabha), one of the six national federations affiliated to the Socialists. He was held for Gomia strike in 1965 fighting for the rights of workers.

He won from Dehri-on-Sone in the first General Elections of 1952 and becomes the first leader of the opposition from 1952 uptill 1962. Although being in the opposition,he was personally close to people cutting across party lines because many of them had fought shoulder to shoulder in the freedom struggle. He was well respected by all the nationalists of that era, including Jayaprakash Narayan, Anugrah Narayan Sinha and Sri Krishna Sinha. He became a Member of the Legislative Council from 1962-68. He became one of the most powerful Cabinet Ministers (Cabinet Minister of Labour, Planning and Industry) in the 1967 Coalition Government. During the Emergency of 1975 he stayed underground for 19 months conducting the movement and his wife was jailed under MISA as a potential "threat" to the Government.

In 1977 he wins from Dehri-on-Sone and again becomes the Cabinet Minister for Labour, Planning and Industry in the Janata Party government in the state. He kept on guiding the Trade Union Movement and kept on fighting to keep the Janata Party intact till the last day of his life. He died on 7 April, 1989.

He lived within very frugal means and was respected for his honesty and forthrightness. He was committed to the country for whose independence he was also instrumental. He kept guiding and working for the underprivileged, working class and agricultural labourers till the last day of his life.

He did not believe in the existence of God, much like the rest of his socialist comrades. He did not wear the sacred thread because he did not believe in segregation from the rest. Even his widowed mother supported the ideas of his only son. When he used to take his fellow revolutionaries to his mud house to have food, his mother never inquired about their caste even after being an orthodox Brahmin and used to serve them food. And it was only after his son along with other nationalists was gone that she used to wash the place with gangajal so that their feelings were not hurt.

The room of his house where he was born has fallen down and the whole house was in a dilapidated condition till recently when it was renovated to some extent by his descendants rather than the Government.

Basawon Singh (Sinha) was an extremely handsome personality with six feet five inches in height and extremely sharp featured with wheatish complexion.

Recognition

The Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in his name on 23/03/2000. [ http://www.stampsindia.com/viewstamp.php/Alpha/B/BASAWON%20SINGH] There is an indoor stadium in his name in the city of Hajipur in Bihar. [cite news
url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4007122.cms
title = I am not corrupt, says Paswan
publisher = The Times of India
date = 2002-03-17
accessdate = 2008-04-03]

References

ources

* The Times of India had published a booklet both in English and Hindi in most of its editions published in the country on May 30, 1994 "A Tribute" and hailed him as "Son of Bihar".

* "Shramikon Ke Hitaishi Neta, Itihas Purush: Basawon Singh" published by the Bihar Hindi Granth Academy (1st Edition, April, 2000)

* Basawon Sinha; A revolutionary patriot. Commemorative Volume ed Rita Sinha and R. Manikaran (1999)