Banarsi Das Gupta

Banarsi Das Gupta (5 November 1917 – 29 August 2007) (Hindi: बनारसी दास गुप्ता) was a former chief minister of Haryana state in India.

Born in Bhiwani he studied at Pilani in Rajasthan.

He established Parja Mandal in erstwhile Jind State in pre-independence period and launched agitation for establishment of a responsible Government in Jind State and was imprisoned several times. He undertook several padyatras, collected thousands of acres of land and distributed it among the landless during the Bhoodan Movement. He fought against traditional social abuses such as the dowry system and child marriage. He stood for widow re-marriage rights and started the tradition of community-marriages without dowry.

He was Chief Patron of the All India Vaish Federation; Patron of the Maharaj Agrasen Medical Education & Scientific Research Society, Haryana, Trustee of Vaish Mahavidyalaya Trust which runs (i) Vaish Senior Secondary School and (ii) Vaish Model School, Trustee and Member of Haryana Prakritik Chikitsalaya, President of Managing Committee of (i) Vaish P.G. Boy's College, (ii) Adarsh Mahila Mahavidyalaya and (iii) and a member of All IndiaAgarwal Sammelan.

He was thrice elected to the Haryana Legislative Assembly and served once as its speaker. He was a minister for several years and served once as Deputy Chief Minister and twice as Chief Minister of Haryana. His terms as chief minister were from 1975 to 1977, and for a few months in 1990. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 1996.

External links

* [http://rajyasabha.gov.in/kiosk/whoswho/alpha_g9.htm Official Biography from the Rajya Sabha]
*http://www.thehindu.com/2007/08/30/stories/2007083061571600.htm