People and Personalities of Purnia (Purnea) District

The big stories often make the headlines of our historical narratives, but history is not only about the landmark events - it finds shape and character in the myriad events that led up to a flashpoint of change. An attempt to discover and document stories of people, events, and places linked to the freedom struggle of India at the micro level of the district has led to the creation of a Digital District Repository. Stories in this section can be broadly classified under - People & Personalities.

Bhola Paswan

Born in 1914 at Beragachhi in the Purnia district of Bihar, Bhola Paswan earned his 'Shastri' degree from Kashi Vidyapeeth Banaras. Hailing from the Pasi community, he embarked on his journey of political and social activism by becoming a member of the District Board Purnia in 1939, serving until 1941. Additionally, he actively participated in the freedom struggle by joining the 'Quit India Movement' in 1942, for which he faced 21 months of imprisonment. But his patriotism remained unshattered he continued to contribute to the freedom movement earnestly.

Having spearheaded several initiatives to promote awareness among the untouchable communities in Bihar, he secured a seat in the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1946. He later assumed the role of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Local Self Government in 1952 and was appointed as a cabinet minister in Bihar in 1953. His political career progressed further as he was re-elected to the State Legislative Assembly from the Vanmankhi constituency for the term of 1957 to 1962.

After securing victory in the Korha constituency, he assumed his position in the Legislative Assembly in 1967. However, he left the Congress party the following year in 1968, subsequently founding the Democratic Congress. In that same year, he took on the role of Chief Minister of Bihar, which he held until June 1969. He once again assumed the position of Chief Minister during the period of 1971-72. However, he returned to the Congress party in 1972 and secured a seat in the Rajya Sabha, where he remained until the end of his tenure. From 1973 to 1974, during Indira Gandhi's tenure as Prime Minister of the country, he served as the Minister responsible for housing and development.

In August of 1978, he was appointed as the chairman of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission, where he devoted himself to promoting the welfare of the Dalit community. During his tenure, he initiated the publication of a Hindi weekly paper called RashtraSandesh and served as the assistant editor of Rashtravani, another newspaper published in Patna.

He passed away on 10 September 1984, at the age of 70.

Source :

• Dr. Shikha Bhadauriya, Contributor for CCRT
• Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav