Mrinal Gore (c. 24 June 1928 – 17 July 2012, Vasai) was a veteran socialist leader of India, and was a member 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 ...

. She died on 17 July 2012 at the age of around 84. Her death was mourned by Prime Minister of India

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...

and many other Indians. Mrinal Gore was born Mrinal Mohile in a Marathi

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 and was a medical student. Towards the end of her schooling she came in contact with Rashtra Seva Dal - the cultural and social wing of the Socialist Party. Her inspiration was

Sane Guruji Pandurang Sadashiv Sane ( mar, पांडुरंग सदाशिव साने; ; 24 December 1899 – 11 June 1950), also known as ''Sane Guruji'' (Guruji meaning "respected teacher") by his students and followers, was a Marathi auth ...

and it was RSD that brought her in touch with dynamic leaders like Keshav Gore, a Marathi Brahmin, who mentored the young recruits during the days prior to Independence. She and Keshav Gore married and had a daughter. Unfortunately, Keshav died when Mrinal was 30 and the daughter was only 5. She earned the sobriquet ''Paaniwali Bai'' (water lady) for her effort to bring drinking water supply to

Goregaon Goregaon ( �oːɾeɡaːʋ is a suburb of Mumbai city, in the Mumbai Suburban district of India. It has a railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway on the Western Line. An extension of the Harbour Line was completed in 2018 because of w ...

, a North

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

suburb. She led many protests along with her contemporaries Ahilya Rangnekar and

Pramila Dandavate Pramila Dandavate (Devanagari: ) (1928–2001) was a political activist from Mumbai, associated with the Praja Socialist Party and later with the Janata Party. Early life and background Pramila Dandavate was born on 27 August 1928 born to Janard ...

. She was the leader of opposition in

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 elected to 6th

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 ...

from

Mumbai North (Lok Sabha constituency) Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency (formerly, Bombay City North Lok Sabha constituency) is one of the 48 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies of Maharashtra state in western India. Assembly segments Before delimitation, Mumbai North Lok ...

in 1977. When she was elected MP in 1977, the same election that

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

lost, the popular slogan was ''Paaniwali bai Dilli mein, Dilliwali bai paani mein'', meaning the water lady (Mrinal) has reached Delhi (Parliament) but the Delhi lady (Indira Gandhi) is in the water. She declined the offer of Health Ministry by then Prime Minister

Morarji Desai Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995) was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the 4th Prime Minister of India between 1977 to 1979 leading the government formed by the Janata Party. During his ...

. She was survived by her daughter Anjali Vartak. Mrinal Gore was arrested on December 21, 1975 and detained under MISA at Bombay Central Prison. Then she was moved to Akola Jail to completely isolate her from other political detainees. She was put in one barrack that had one door but no window. A criminal with advanced stage of leprosy was put in adjoining cell while a violent lunatic female prisoner was in opposite cell. This was done to torture Mrs Gore physically and mentally.

References

1928 births 2012 deaths Indian socialists India MPs 1977–1979 Janata Dal politicians Maharashtra MLAs 1985–1990 Lok Sabha members from Maharashtra Leaders of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Indians imprisoned during the Emergency (India) 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians Women members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly {{Maharashtra-politician-stub