Gopinath Bardoloi (1890 to 1950)
Gopinath Bardoloi was a great freedom fighter from Assam. He was a staunch Gandhian who gave able leadership to Assamese people in our national struggle for independence. He was the first Chief Minister of the Indian state of Assam, and also a leading Indian freedom-fighter. He was a follower of the Gandhian principle of non violence as a political tool.
After India’s Independence, he worked closely with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to secure the sovereignty of Assam against China on the one hand and East Pakistan on the other. That was a time when British government conspired to divide the country on religious community basis by creating Hindu and Muslim majority states and leave them quarreling for ever. The present turmoil in the state calls for emergence of a leader like Gopi Nath Bardoloi. He also helped to organize the rehabilitation of millions of Hindu refugees who had fled East Pakistan due to widespread violence and intimidation in the aftermath of Partition. His work formed the basis for ensuring communal harmony, democracy and stability which effectively kept Assam secure and progressive right up to the 1971 war over East Pakistan’s independence.
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A Collection By Chetan.