Bhalchandra Vaidya (22 June 1928 – 2 April 2018), also known as Bhai Vaidya, was an Indian politician who served as the Home Minister of the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, a revolutionary, Member of
Legislative Assembly of the state of Maharashtra, Mayor of
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
city, veteran
Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
leader and head of the
Socialist Party of India
Socialist Party has been the name of several political parties in India, all of which have their roots in the Congress Socialist Party during the freedom struggle.
Background
Socialism had a late appearance in Indian politics and this was at ...
.
Brief biography
Bhai was born on 22 June 1928 at
Dapode village in
Velhe taluka
Velhe taluka (''Vēlhē tālukā''), is a taluka in Haveli subdivision of Pune district of state of Maharashtra in India.
See also
*Mangdari
vagdara
* Talukas in Pune district
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit o ...
,
Poona District
Pune district (Marathi pronunciation: uɳeː is the most populous district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The district's population was 9,429,408 in the 2011 census, making it the fourth most populous district amongst India's 640 districts ...
in a Marathi
Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu
Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) is a caste group mainly found in Maharashtra. Historically, they made equally good warriors, statesmen as well as writers. They held the posts such as Deshpandes and Gadkaris and according to the historian, ...
(popularly known as
CKP
Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) is a caste group mainly found in Maharashtra. Historically, they made equally good warriors, statesmen as well as writers. They held the posts such as Deshpandes and Gadkaris and according to the histor ...
) family.
He began his activism journey at the age of 14 as an Indian revolutionary. In his political career which spanned over 60 years, he was elected multiple times to the
Municipal Corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally owne ...
and later he became the Mayor of Pune city during 1974–75.
He was the first president of All India Mayor Association. He was elected as the Member of the
Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
The Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha or the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the legislature of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated in the Nariman Point area of South Mumbai in the capital Mumbai. Presently, 288 memb ...
and later became the Home Minister of Maharashtra State in 1978.
He is well known for many reformative decisions during his Home Ministry, especially changing the police uniforms from half pants to full pants and refusing huge bribes from smugglers with his honest and uncompromising attitude. Bhai was at the forefront of the
Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti
Samyukta Maharashtra Movement ( mr, संयुक्त महाराष्ट्र चळवळ), commonly known as the Samiti, was an organisation in India that advocated for a separate Marathi-speaking state in Western India and Centra ...
movement with his mentor
Shreedhar Mahadev Joshi
Mahadev Joshi, also known as S.M. Joshi (1904 November 12-1989 April 1), was an Indian independence activist, a member of the Socialist (Samajwadi) Party, a Member of Parliament, and leader of Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti.
Biography
Born 12 No ...
and other influential leaders of the time.
Bhai was a vocal opponent of emergency even during his Mayorship, when he organised a rally of 20,000 people at
Shaniwar Wada
Shaniwar Wada is a historical fortification in the city of Pune, India.
Built in 1732, it was the great seat of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire until 1818. Following the rise of the Maratha Empire, the palace became the center of Indian poli ...
and got arrested. As a revolutionary and a life long activist who fought for the rights of
Dalit
Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold Varna (Hinduism), varna syste ...
s, farmers and backward classes, Bhai was jailed 28 times.
Career
He served as Home minister of state of Maharashtra, Mayor of Pune City, President of Socialist Party, President of Rashtra Seva Dal, National Secretary of Janata Party, National Chief of Samajwadi Jana Parishad, President of Bharat Yatra Trust, Delhi, President of S.M Joshi Medical Trust Pune, Pune Municipal Retirement Service home from 1995.
Death
Bhai Vaidya died from
pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
on 2 April 2018 at the age of 89. For last 10 years of his life he fought for free health and education. He is known as an honest politician and a fierce socialist leader/activist who never compromised on his morals and values during his career.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, ''“We have lost a person who believed in and lived for the democratic values all his life. He fought for the poor relentlessly. His contribution to the freedom movement and the Goa freedom movement is of immense importance. Vaidya’s dossiers on value and morale based politics are emblems. This is a big loss for the state.”''
Prakash Javadekar, Union human resource development minister, recounted his recent meeting with Vaidya on Padwa. ''“He had come to meet me, to request that President should be invited for the inauguration of Ramabai Ambedkar’s statue. He was happy to know that the President was positive about the event,”'' he said, adding that Vaidya would always remember number by heart and would recount them in minutes when others struggled with directories.
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References