Dev Kant Barooah (22 February 1914 – 28 January 1996) was an Indian politician from Assam, who served as the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the

Indian National Congress 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 ...

during the Emergency (1975–77).

Early life

Baruah was born on 22 February 1914 to Nilkanta Baruah at Dibrugarh, Assam Province (present-day

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 ...

). He studied at Nowgong Government High School and graduated from Banaras Hindu University. After joining the Indian freedom struggle, he was imprisoned in 1930, 1941 and 1942.

Career

In 1949–1951, Baruah's political career began as a member of the Constituent Assembly. He is now chiefly remembered for his alleged sycophancy to Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; ''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 and was al ...

, encapsulated by his c. 1974 proclamation that "India is Indira. Indira is India."Ram Guha, ''India After Gandhi'', p. 467 However, he later parted ways with her and joined

Congress (Urs) The Indian National Congress (U) was a breakaway faction of the Indira Gandhi-led Congress (I), formed in July 1979 by D. Devaraj Urs, the then Chief Minister of Karnataka. Urs' explanation of the split was the return of Indira's son Sanjay Ga ...

, later renamed as

Indian Congress (Socialist) Indian Congress (Socialist) (IC(S)) also known as Congress (Secular) was a political party in India between 1978 and 1986. The party was formed through a split in the Indian National Congress. Initially the party was known as the Indian Nati ...

. He was the Governor of Bihar from 1 February 1971 to 4 February 1973. He died in New Delhi. He is the first and only Assamese to be elected as a president of

. Baruah was a noted poet as well. His collection of Assamese poems, ''Sagar Dekhisa'' (''সাগৰ দেখিছা''), is still very popular. He was the elder brother of famous Assamese poet Nabakanta Barua.

References

External links

* , - , - 1914 births 1996 deaths 20th-century Indian poets India MPs 1952–1957 India MPs 1977–1979 Assamese-language poets The Emergency (India) Governors of Bihar Indian Congress (Socialist) politicians Indian National Congress (U) politicians Lok Sabha members from Assam Members of the Cabinet of India People from Dibrugarh district Presidents of the Indian National Congress Speakers of the Assam Legislative Assembly Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministers of India Indian National Congress politicians from Assam {{Assam-INC-politician-stub