Biography
Early life and education
Handique studied English literature at1962: School
In the early 1960s, Handique became concerned about the lack of an English medium school in the vast Upper Assam area. This led him to eventually establish the Hemlata Handiqui Memorial Institute HMI the first English medium school in Upper Assam, in 1962. This eventually developed HHMI, which encouraged students to take up subjects as diverse as workshops on music and Shakespeare. The task was not without its hiccups, though land for the school was purchased by Handique's family. Within months of the school starting its first classes, the Indo-China war of 1962 broke out. This created panic in Jorhat, and many teachers and students fled from the town. He assisted the Red Cross in their efforts at training and organisation. Handique donated his mother's jewellery to the war effort. "Many people fled following the Chinese aggression and the fall of Tawang and Bomdila in the northeastern sector. There was great panic. Our first principal, J S Walters, went missing. He left without notice, taking only his bicycle with him. Due to fears of a full scale war, the school was closed for a month." In 2012, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary. Handique composed a song for the occasion, set to tune by a former student.1970s: Assam State Assembly
1980-1985: Rajya Sabha
Handique was a member of: * Consultative Committee, Ministry of Education & Sports Affairs (1980–90) * Committee of Privileges (1984–85) * Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (1982–84) After 1986, he stayed on the Consultative Committee, Ministry of Education & Sports Affairs until 1990.1991-1996: 10th Lok Sabha
Handique was a member of: * Committee on Industry (1991-1996) * Committee on Food & Supplies (1991-1996) * Committee on Official Language (1991-1996) * Consultative Committee, Ministry of Petroleum (1991-1996)1996-1999: 11th and 12th Lok Sabha
Handique was a member of: * Committee on Industry (1998-1999) * Consultative Committee, Ministry of External Affairs (1997-1999) * Chairman, Railway Convention Committee, (1998-1999)Position on AFSPA: The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958
Handique has been critical of the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) and has given his views on the floor of Parliament. The Act gives the Indian Army immunity to arrest without warrant on suspicion, shoot and kill any citizen in areas deemed disturbed by the government, without any recourse to scrutiny. AFPSA is currently implemented in certain parts of Northeast India and Kashmir. In July 1998 at the Lok Sabha debates, he said, "The Armed Forces operating in the insurgency-prone Northeast, was never examined to assess that this could degenerate into a Draconian piece of legislation… an Army officer armed with such power to kill, an immunity under the Act, is naturally instigated to invoke such powers right from the word 'go' in a confrontation... If fighting terrorism is a state of mind, then causing deaths, while tackling the terrorists, is also likely to be registered on an Army personnel's state of mind. So it's full of paradox. Government deploys the Army to fight the terrorists for the protection of its citizens, but it's the common men and women who are caught in the crossfire and suffer the most... I understand the feelings where brutal operations were conducted under the Armed Forces Act. It's true that the scars on the soul cannot be bartered away with economic packages".1999-2004: 13th Lok Sabha
Handique was a member of: * Lok Sabha Rules Committee (1999-2004) * Consultative Committee, Ministry of External Affairs (1999-2004) * Committee on Petroleum and Chemicals (1999-2000)2004-2009: 14th Lok Sabha, Minister of State
Handique held the following positions: * Union Minister of State, Chemicals & Fertilizers, 2006 –2009 * Union Minister of State, Parliamentary Affairs, 2004-2007 * Union Minister of State, Defence, 2004 –2006 Before he took ministerial responsibilities in 2004, Handique frequently spoke on Parliamentary processes and procedures to Central government probationary officers including Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers. These lectures were organised by the Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training. As Minister of State and Cabinet Minister for seven years in the 14th and part of 15th Lok Sabha (between June 2004 and July 2011), Handique participated in debates on behalf of the government. Only starred questions and replies have been included in the three volumes for economy of space. Under Parliamentary proceedings, ministers do not ask questions, but reply to questions of Members. They also do not introduce private member bills. They include debates on Assam Appropriation Bill, Assam State legislature (Delegation of Powers) Bill, 1981, Floods in Assam, Chaparmukh-Silghat Railway line Bill, Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Bill, Tea (Amendment) Bill, Gangtok Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, among others. Bills of national importance include Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 1985, Handloom Bill, The Copyrights (Amendment) Bill, National Health Policy, General Budgets and Finance Bills, among others. "Scope of a Minister as a Parliamentarian, is of course different from that of a Member of Parliament. How I speak as an M.P. from the Treasury Benches, as a Member in Opposition and as a member of the Council of Ministers follow conventionally different patterns", Handique writes in his foreword to A Life in Parliament.2009-2014: 15th Lok Sabha, Cabinet Minister
Minister of Mines
He was the Minister of Mines from May 2009 to 18 January 2011, Minister of Development of North Eastern Region from May 2009 to July 2011 andMinister of Development of the North Eastern Region
During his tenure as Minister of Development of North Eastern Region, he initiated many major policy changes regarding connectivity, promotion of youth and industry in the Region. His amiable style of functioning had endeared him to the populace of the right North Eastern States. His acceptability was backed by his thorough understanding of the Region. Integration of the Region to the Mainstream was the central focus which he was successfully pursuing as the Minister of DoNER.Post-Cabinet Minister activities
After tendering his resignation as Cabinet Minister, Handique was appointed chairman of the newly constituted parliamentary Standing Committee for Welfare of Other Backward Classes. After 2012, he was a member of the Indian National Congress' Central Election Committee. The 14-member panel, chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, is entrusted with the task of selecting party candidates for state and national elections.Controversies
Parliamentary participation
In February 2014, before the Lok Sabha elections, some sections of Assamese media carried scurrilous reports suggesting that Handique had been an inactive member of Parliament, asking "Only one question in his 22 years in Parliament." Handique responded to this, pointing out that his Parliamentary interventions amounted to nearly 1,000 pages of printed matter, as collected in ''A Life in Parliament''. The media was then forced to print his entire rebuttal, thereby admitting to their errors.Personal life
Handique married Swarup Rani Borgohain in 1965. He had three married daughters and two grandchildren. In retirement, He was an occasional poet and whole time environmentalist. He was deeply interested in wildlife and conservation.Death and funeral
On 25 July 2015, Handique was admitted to Jorhat Medical College due to heart-related and respiratory ailments. In the afternoon of the same day, he was admitted to the ICU. On 26 July 2015, Handique died of a cardiact arrest, aged 80 at around 12:30 PM. Many political figures paid tribute to him, including Sonia Gandhi,Awards and accolades
Handique was conferred the Venu Menon National Animal Award for Leadership in Conservation in the year 2006, for his key role in conservation of rare birds.Books
Handique's debates, speeches & interventions as a Parliamentarian during the last 35 years (including one term in Rajya Sabha) have been recorded in three unedited volumes: * ''A Life in Parliament: Volume 1 (Rajya Sabha 1980-1986)'' * ''A Life in Parliament: Volume II (Lok Sabha 1991-2004) '' * ''A Life in Parliament: Volume III (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha 2004-2014)'' The three volumes, which run into nearly 1,000 pages, contain debates on a wide range of topics related to Assam, the Northeast and the nation.References
External links
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Handique, Bijoy 1934 births 2015 deaths India MPs 1991–1996 India MPs 1996–1997 India MPs 1998–1999 India MPs 1999–2004 India MPs 2004–2009 India MPs 2009–2014 Indian National Congress politicians Lok Sabha members from Assam Members of the Assam Legislative Assembly Members of the Cabinet of India Mining ministers of India People from Jorhat district University of Calcutta alumni United Progressive Alliance candidates in the 2014 Indian general election Occasional poets