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Gopal Singh Khalsa OBE (born 1903, date of death unknown) was an Indian independence activist and politician.[3]
Gopal Singh Khalsa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader of opposition in Punjab assembly | |
| In office 17 April 1952 – 1 November 1956 | |
| Preceded by | First holder |
| Succeeded by | Gurnam Singh |
| Constituency | Jagraon |
| Member of Punjab Legislative Assembly[1] | |
| In office 1952–1957 | |
| Preceded by | Post Established |
| Succeeded by | Har Prakash Kaur |
| Constituency | Jagraon |
| Member of Punjab Provincial Assembly[2] | |
| In office 1937–1946 | |
| Constituency | Ludhiana |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1903 |
| Died | not known |
| Political party | Scheduled Castes Federation (1947-1952), Shiromani Akali Dal (1952-1956), Indian National Congress (1956-till his death) |
| Spouse | Basant Kaur |
| Children | Harinder Singh Khalsa |
| Alma mater | Panjab University |
Life edit
Khalsa was born in 1903 into Ramdasia Sikh family at a village around Sidhwan Bet area.[4]
He did his schooling from Malwa Khalsa High School in Ludhiana and B.A from Panjab University. Khalsa went to the United States in 1923 and spent three years there and did LLB from the San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton (California).[citation needed]
He also received Order of the British Empire.[5]
Political career edit
Before Independence edit
Later, joined the Hindustan National Party and finally returned to India in 1931. After his return, he took keen interest in the welfare of the Dalits and joined the All India Scheduled Castes Federation of B. R. Ambedkar.
He was a member of the S. C. F. Working Committee and a close associate of Dr Ambedkar from 1937 to 1946. In 1937, he was elected as an independent candidate for the Punjab Provincial Assembly. He was then appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Punjab Premier, Sikandar Hayat Khan.
From 1937 to 1946 he was also a nominated member of the District Board of Ludhiana, After the second world war in 1946, he was appointed as an officer in the Labour Department of the Government of India.
After Independence edit
In 1952 he joined the Akali Dal, ran on its ticket for the 1952,[6] and became the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Legislative Assembly.
He had during his political career edited a couple of magazines and papers, and from 1952 to 1954 was Chief Editor of the Daily Prabhat, the Urdu spokesman of the Akali Dal.
In 1956 as a result of the merger of the Akali Dal with the Indian National Congress, he joined the latter organization. He played a prominent role in the organization of the Malwa Akali Dal to oppose Master Tara Singh and his Akali Dal in the 1959 elections to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
References edit
- ^ "Jagraon Election and Results 2018, Candidate list, Winner, Runner-up, Current MLA and Previous MLAs". elections.in. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ page xx of Punjab Vidhan Sabha Compendium. Punjab Legislative Assembly. Retrieved on 23 July 2019.
- ^ III Religion and Caste in Punjab (pdf). Gopal Singh Khalsa (page 1268)
- ^ Nayar, Baldev Raj (1965). "Religion and Caste in the Punjab: Sidhwan Bet Constituency". In Myron, Weiner; Kothari, Rajni (eds.). Indian Voting Behaviour: Studies of the 1962 General Elections. Firma K. L. Mukhopadhyay. p. 124.
Gopal Singh Khalsa, the Congress candidate, was born in a scheduled caste Ramdasia Sikh family in 1903 in a village which is outside the Sidhwan Bet constituency but not too far from it.
- ^ Gupta, Shekhar (15 December 1984). "I believe in the unity of the Sikhs: Harinder Singh". India Today. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ page xxx of Punjab Vidhan Sabha Compendium. Punjab Legislative Assembly. Retrieved on 23 July 2019.