B. P. Mandal

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Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal
7th Chief Minister of Bihar
In office 1 February 1968 – 2 March 1968
Preceded by	Satish Prasad Singh
Succeeded by	Bhola Paswan Shastri
Member of the Indian Parliament for Madhepura
In office 1967–1972
Succeeded by	Rajendra Prasad Yadav
In office 1977–1980
Preceded by	Rajendra Prasad Yadav
Succeeded by	Rajendra Prasad Yadav
Personal details
Born	(1918-08-25)August 25, 1918
Died	13 April 1982(1982-04-13) (aged 63)
Spouse(s)	Sita Mandal
Children	7
Father	Ras Bihari Lal Mandal

Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal (25 August 1918 – 13 April 1982) was an Indian politician who chaired Mandal Commission which became a major political theme after 1990. He served as 7th Chief Minister of Bihar in the year 1968, but he had resigned after 30 days.^[1] He was also a parliamentarian who served as the chairman of the Second Backward Classes Commission (popularly known as the Mandal Commission). B.P. Mandal came from a rich Yadav landlord family,^[2][3] from Madhepura in Northern Bihar.^[4] The commission's report mobilized a segment of the Indian population known as "Other Backward Classes" (OBCs) and initiated a fierce debate on the policy for underrepresented and underprivileged groups in Indian politics.^[5]

Biography[]

B. P. Mandal came from the Hindu Yadav community in Bihar.^[6] He was born in a family of rich landlords. B. P. Mandal was the son of Ras Bihari Lal Mandal, a wealthy Zamindar. According to local legend, his father raised the demand for Indian independence at the 1911 Delhi Durbar. Ras Behari Lal Mandal later became one of the leading politicians from Bihar. Mandal was a Member of Parliament for Madhepura from the state of Bihar from 1967 to 1970 and from 1977 to 1979.

He was the Chief Minister of Bihar,^[7] governing for 30 days in 1968, a period of intense political instability (his predecessor Satish Prasad Singh was the first Chief Minister from OBC but only for three days)

Civil rights commission[]

In December 1978, Prime Minister Morarji Desai appointed a five-member civil rights commission under the chairmanship of Mandal.^[8] It was due to the Mandal's longstanding anti-dogmatic and support for the depressed classes that resulted in the formation of "Mandal Commission" or the "Backward Classes Commission".^[8] The commission's report was completed in 1980 and recommended that a significant proportion of all government and educational places be reserved for applicants from the Other Backward Classes as these were the socially-deprived communities historically that had been treated as outcasts and denied job opportunities as well as proper education in the public institutions that were upper-caste dominant at the time.^[5]

The commission's report was tabled indefinitely by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. A decade later, Prime Minister V. P. Singh implemented the recommendations of the Mandal Report and led to what is now known as the caste-reservation system in India, however it finally came into effect only in 1993 after Supreme Court gave a go ahead for its implementation in a historic judgement famous as Indra Sawhney judgement in November 1992^[8].^[5]

The Mandal commission was not well received by a number of upper-caste communities leading to nation-wide protests and uproar especially by the students of Upper-castes who saw their educational opportunities under threat while many of the people from these communities still continue to consider the policies to be unnecessary and biased.^[5]

Political career[]

In the year 1941, at the age of 23 he became unopposed member from the Bhagalpur district council.^[8] In the year 1952, during first general elections for the state assembly of Bihar,BP Mandal won the Madhepura assembly seat on a Congress ticket against Bhupendra Narayan Mandal from Socialist Party.^[8] Mandal always considered Narayan Mandal as influential in formulating socialist notions and converting Madhepura,as a place for promotion of socialism. It was in the Pama case, wherein local Rajput landlords of Pama village in Bihar attacked a Kurmi village,leading to police atrocities against backward class citizens that Mandal made headlines in newspapers all across nation for his audacious act.^[8] He was pressured to remove his request for immediate government action against the police and compensation for victims during the Bihar assembly session. However, this made him to move from treasury benches to opposition bench and fight for the cause which has humiliated the inactive ruling party.^[8] Impressed by his actions, Ram Manohar Lohia made him president of his Samyukta Socialist Party.^[8] Subsequently, he fought and won Lok Sabha elections in Bihar on the ticket of the Samyukta Socialist Party and was appointed in charge of the Ministry of Health in State Government.

Later he left the Samyukta Socialist Party due to differences with Ram Manohar Lohia and formed new party named Shoshit Dal in March 1967.^[8] As he took oath as the seventh Chief Minister of the state on 1st February 1968, it was a historic moment in the North Indian political scenario.^[8] However as he was member of the Lower House, he was required to be member of Bihar assembly in order to continue in the post of Chief Minister.^[8] Satish Singh, an MLA of his party, was made Chief Minister for four days before Mandal became member of Legislative Council and took charge as Chief Minister again.^[8] It was during this time that another dramatic picture in the history of north Indian politics took place, wherein the ministry comprised majorly from OBC's than belonging from upper caste.^[8] However, though the government lasted only 47 days this radical shift in the representation paradigm brought a new spirit in Indian politics.^[8] However, he had to resign as Chief Minister protesting Congress removal of the enquiry commission named "Aiyar Commission",headed by T.L.Venkatrama Aiyar,to cater to charges of corruption on several ministers and senior Congress leaders.^[8] He became Lok Sabha member again in year 1968 when he contested and won by-elections again from Madhepura parliamentary constituency without much challenge. Mandal teamed up with Jayaprakash Narayan and resigned from Bihar assembly protesting a corrupt Congress administration. In year 1977 he contested Lok Sabha elections from Madhepura constituency on a Janata Party ticket and won.^[8]

Commemoration[]

Various statues and memorials were made in his memory in the state and one of the most glorious one stands in front of the governor's House in Patna. Every year his birth anniversary is celebrated in a formal ceremonial manner by his son Manindra Kumar Mandal and his other family members in their village and the Chief Minister and other cabinet members of the state in Patna, Sasaram and at various other spots.^[9]

See also[]

• List of Chief Ministers of Bihar

References[]

External links[]

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