Minimata Agam Das Guru (15 March 191611 august 1973) was an Indian politician from the

Indian National Congress Party The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

, and a member of parliament in the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...

(lower house of the

Parliament of India The Parliament of India (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the R ...

Early life

Minimata was born in Nawagaon district in

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

in 1916. She was educated at Girls School, Nawagon and

Raipur Raipur ( ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Raipur is also the administrative headquarters of Raipur district and Raipur division, and the largest city of the state. It was a part of Madhya Pradesh before the state of Chh ...

Political career

Minimata was elected to the first Lok Sabha in a bye-election in 1955 after the death of the sitting MP, her husband, Guru Agamdas. She contested the same constituency on a Congress party nomination and won. In 1962, she contested for the Indian National Congress party in Madhya Pradesh state, in Baloda Bazar, a Scheduled Caste reserved constituency. She won with more than 52% of the vote, defeating the Prajya Socialist Party candidate. In 1967, she contested for the Indian National Congress Party in the Schedule Caste reserved constituency of Janjgir, then in Madhya Pradesh state, winning with more than 62% of the vote. Minimata contested the same constituency of Janjgir in 1971, again for the Indian National Congress Party, and again winning the election. She died in 1973 before the end of her parliamentary term, prompting a by-election.

Besides her parliamentary work, she served as General Secretary, State Congress Committee; President of Guru Ghasidas Seva Sangh; President of Harijan Education Society; Vice-President, State Depressed Classes League; Secretary, Mahila Mandal, Raipur. She was also a member of the Social Welfare Board, Raipur and a member of District Congress Committee, Raipur. Minimata group

Minimata was associated with

Satnami The Sadh, also known as Satnami, is a minority Bhakti-era Hindu sect in India. It is a monotheistic Hindu sect where its followers believe in a formless and supreme god called Satnam Satpurush. According to M. A. Sherring, he may have been i ...

politics, a form of Ambedkarite Dalit self-assertion. After the death of her husband, she took on the leadership of the community. She stood against casteism and untouchability, as well as child marriage and dowry.

Personal life

She married Guru Agam Das on 2 July 1930. Her parliamentary profile listed her hobbies as reading, knitting, embroidery, cooking and gardening, and debating and discussion on social and political affairs. Minimata died in an airplane crash on a flight from Raipur to Delhi; the plane crashed as it tried to land at Palam airport.

References

{{Reflist8, https://cgculture.in/samman_front_list.aspx?id=Y3j79zuhgzch7sZF33PD0Q

9, https://www.livehindustan.com/lok-sabha-election/story-minimata-is-first-woman-mp-of-chhatisgarh-know-about-her-peronal-and-political-career-2453768.html 10, https://www.cgnewshindi.in/2020/06/mini-mata-chhattisgarh.html Indian National Congress politicians Women members of the Lok Sabha 1916 births 1973 deaths Lok Sabha members from Madhya Pradesh India MPs 1952–1957 India MPs 1957–1962 India MPs 1962–1967 India MPs 1967–1970 India MPs 1971–1977 People from Nagaon district People from Raipur district People from Janjgir-Champa district