Do you know who is the first woman chief minister in India, who contributed to our freedom struggle as well? It’s non-other than Sucheta Kriplani who was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1963.
Then How She is Considered as Freedom Fighter?
Sucheta Kriplani was one of the greatest freedom fighters who lived in the country. She was an active member of the Indian Freedom Movement.
She has contributed immensely to the struggle for Indian freedom. She was a very good parliamentarian and very eloquent in the Lok Sabha debates.
Sucheta Kriplani Biography
- Born: 25 June 1904, Ambala
- Died: 1 December 1974, New Delhi
- Spouse: J. B. Kripalani (m. 1938–1974)
- Parents: S.N. Majumdar
- Party: Indian National Congress
- Education: Kinnaird College For Women University
The life of Sucheta Kriplani
Sucheta Kriplani was born in the year 1908 in Ambala the present Haryana. Born in a Bengali family, she was the daughter of S. N. Majumdar, physician and nationalist of the government.
Also, he was a government doctor, but the emotions of nationality were at the top of his heart. This was influenced Sucheta a lot since his childhood.
She completed her studies at Indraprastha College and St. Stephen’s College in Delhi. After completing her studies, she worked as a professor at the Banaras Hindu University.
Acharya Kriplani was a prominent freedom fighter as well as a politician he got married to Sucheta Kriplani in 1936 and his political life began after their marriage.
Then he started Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party (KMPP) for a short period but later actively participated in the Indian National Congress.
Gandhi and Sucheta Kriplani Meeting Incident
In the year 1942, the political atmosphere in India was very active. Public meetings and demonstrations demanding independence were in full swing.
Mahatma Gandhi was fasting in the Aga Khan Palace in Pune. His condition was critical at that point in time.
Arrest warrants have been issued against many freedom fighters, including Sucheta Kriplani, who forced her to work underground. As she came to know Gandhi’s health condition is bad, Sucheta decided to make a visit soon.
She went to Gandhi’s home and were asking to meet him by force, the Home Secretary took the message to the Governor and finally got the chance to meet him without the arrest(a warning was given to leave the city within 24 hrs)
Fight for Freedom
Sucheta Kriplani was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and joined the Kasturba Gandhi Memorial Trust in 1946 as secretary of the organization.
She was an active member and was introduced during the Quit India movement and participated in riots.
She was also elected to the Constituent Assembly and sang the national song at the independence session of the Constituent Assembly. She even worked for atrocities and became a true mother of them.
Member of the Constituent Assembly
Acharya Kriplani’s role in shaping the contours of an independent India is remarkable, as it was a member of the Constituent Assembly responsible for formulating the founding document that would govern the newly independent country.
In addition, she was part of only 15 women in the Assembly, which had a total of 299 members. Other female members included Sarojini Naidu, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Purnima Banerji, Ammu Swaminathan, and others.
Post Independence
After independence, Kriplani was deputed for New Delhi, later became Minister of Labor, Community Development, and Industry of the State Government of Uttar Pradesh.
She was elected to the Lok Sabha in (1952-1957). She was also Minister of State for Small Industries. In 1962, Sucheta was elected to the Assembly of Uttar Pradesh.
First Woman Chief Minister in India
She was the first woman to hold the post of Chief Minister of India from 1963 to 1967.
She was known to be a firm administrator. Sucheta Kriplani in his mandate was marked as a fair and transparent person. The first strike of state employees that lasted 62 days was carried out under his regime.
When Dada Kriplani resigned as president of Congress because of differences with Jawaharlal Nehru, Sucheta Kriplani joined Congress after the division in Congress in 1969. She has been active in the student movements that began in 1974.
Sucheta Kriplani and her husband, they were from different parts but they were very professional. She was always with her husband to take care of his health and make him feel comfortable with his movements.
Death of Sucheta Kriplani
She was always unconcerned with her health because she was very involved in politics and social activities. She had a serious accident in Simla Hills. After that, she had two heart attacks in which she recovered completely.
With great devotion, she took care of her ill husband and was never worried about her heart problems.
She died of a massive heart attack. It was so bad, that she had to be transferred to the Indian Institute of Medical Sciences. She died on December 1, 1974, after a massive coronary attack.
Conclusion
The name of Sucheta Kriplani will be written in golden words in the history of India. She was not only a great leader, a great politician but also a great administration. She had a heart of gold.
In today’s politics, we really miss the leader like Sucheta Kriplani. Hopefully, in the coming days and years, a politician and a leader like Sucheta Kriplani will be born again.
