B.P. Mandal
Encyclopedia
Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal (1918–1982) was an India
n Parliamentarian who served as the chairman of the Second Backward Classes Commission (popularly known as the Mandal Commission
). 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 of "reservations" (i.e. affirmative action
) for underrepresented and underprivileged groups in the Indian polity.
for the state of Bihar
from 1967 to 1970 and 1977 to 1979. He was also the Chief Minister of Bihar for forty-eight days in 1968, a period of intense political instability (his predecessor was Chief Minister for only three days). In December 1978, Prime Minister Morarji Desai
appointed a five member civil rights commission under the chairmanship of Mandal. 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. 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.
] B. P. Mandal was the son of Ras Behari 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 made his contribution as founder of All India Gope Jatiya (Yadav)Mahasabha and was one of the few zamindars who laid the foundation of Indian National Congress in Bihar. His eldest son Bhubneshwari Prasad Mandal became Member of Bihar-Orissa Legislative Council in 1924 and was Chairman of Local Board, Bhagalpur till his death in 1948. Ras Behari Lal Mandal's second son, Kamleshwari Prasad Mandal was arrested and lodged in Hazaribagh Central Jail along with Jai Prakash Narain and others by the British,and became M.L.C. in Bihar in 1937. B. P. Mandal was the youngest of the three sons of Ras Behari Babu.
B. P. Mandal was born in a Yadav
family in Banaras, India. He was raised in the village of Murho, in the Madhepura District
(formerly Saharsa District
) of northern Bihar. Mandal received his early education in Madhepura
and he attended Raj High School in Darbhanga
. He matriculated at Patna College in the 1930s and worked as an Honorary Magistrate from 1945 to 1951. His political career began with the Indian National Congress
but he joined the Janata Party
after the Emergency Period. Later in his political career, Mandal gravitated toward socialist political ideas and he eventually joined the Samyukta Socialist Party. B. P. Mandal became Chief Minister of Bihar in 1967-68 for a short period before his Government was pulled down by supporting Congress Party for not rewinding the Commission appointed to inquire into allegations of corruption against Congress leaders during previous government.
The Mandals in Bihar belong to the Sadgop
.
B. P. Mandal and his wife, Sita Mandal, were survived by five sons and two daughters. The third son, Maninder Kumar Mandal (popularly known as "Om jee"),and his son Nikhil Mandal in national and state politics.
The Government of India issued a stamp in honor of B. P. Mandal in 2001. A college named in his honor, B. P. Mandal Engineering College, was founded in 2007.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Parliamentarian who served as the chairman of the Second Backward Classes Commission (popularly known as the Mandal Commission
Mandal commission
The Mandal Commission was established in India in 1979 by the Janata Party government under Prime Minister Morarji Desai with a mandate to "identify the socially or educationally backward." It was headed by Indian parliamentarian Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal to consider the question of seat...
). 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 of "reservations" (i.e. affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
) for underrepresented and underprivileged groups in the Indian polity.
Biography
B. P. Mandal was a Member of Parliament in the Lok SabhaLok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
for the state of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
from 1967 to 1970 and 1977 to 1979. He was also the Chief Minister of Bihar for forty-eight days in 1968, a period of intense political instability (his predecessor was Chief Minister for only three days). In December 1978, Prime Minister Morarji Desai
Morarji Desai
Morarji Ranchhodji Desai was an Indian independence activist and the fourth Prime Minister of India from 1977–79. He was the first Indian Prime Minister who did not belong to the Indian National Congress...
appointed a five member civil rights commission under the chairmanship of Mandal. 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. The commission's report was tabled indefinitely by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
. A decade later, Prime Minister V. P. Singh
V. P. Singh
Vishwanath Pratap Singh was the seventh Prime Minister of India and the 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda.-Early life:...
implemented the recommendations of the Mandal Report.
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
. According to local legend, his father raised the demand for Indian independence at the 1911 Delhi Durbar
Delhi Durbar
The Delhi Durbar , meaning "Court of Delhi", was a mass assembly at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the coronation of a King and Queen of the United Kingdom. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was held three times, in 1877, 1903, and 1911, at the height of the British Empire. The 1911...
. Ras Behari Lal Mandal later made his contribution as founder of All India Gope Jatiya (Yadav)Mahasabha and was one of the few zamindars who laid the foundation of Indian National Congress in Bihar. His eldest son Bhubneshwari Prasad Mandal became Member of Bihar-Orissa Legislative Council in 1924 and was Chairman of Local Board, Bhagalpur till his death in 1948. Ras Behari Lal Mandal's second son, Kamleshwari Prasad Mandal was arrested and lodged in Hazaribagh Central Jail along with Jai Prakash Narain and others by the British,and became M.L.C. in Bihar in 1937. B. P. Mandal was the youngest of the three sons of Ras Behari Babu.
B. P. Mandal was born in a Yadav
Yadav
Yādav refers to an umbrella group of traditionally non-elite pastoral communities, or castes, in India and Nepal which since the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has claimed descent from the mythological King Yadu as a part of a movement of social and political resurgence.The term 'Yadav' now...
family in Banaras, India. He was raised in the village of Murho, in the Madhepura District
Madhepura District
Madhepura district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India, and Madhepura town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Madhepura district is a part of Kosi division.-History:...
(formerly Saharsa District
Saharsa District
Saharsa is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar, India. Saharsa town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Saharsa district is a part of a larger territory, the Kosi Division and it became a district on 1 April 1954 and subsequently has become smaller with other districts being...
) of northern Bihar. Mandal received his early education in Madhepura
Madhepura
Madhepura is a city and a municipality in Madhepura district in the Indian state of Bihar. Madhepura as it stands now was carved out of Saharsa district and got the status of revenue district on 9 May 1981. Prior to that, Madhepura was a sub-division under Bhagalpur district with effect from 3...
and he attended Raj High School in Darbhanga
Darbhanga
Darbhangā is a twin city and a municipal corporation and the capital city of the Darbhanga district and Darbhanga Division in the state of Bihar, India. It is one of the most important districts of North Bihar situated in the very heart of Mithilanchal. According to the latest 2011 census, the...
. He matriculated at Patna College in the 1930s and worked as an Honorary Magistrate from 1945 to 1951. His political career began with the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
but he joined the Janata Party
Janata Party
The Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress...
after the Emergency Period. Later in his political career, Mandal gravitated toward socialist political ideas and he eventually joined the Samyukta Socialist Party. B. P. Mandal became Chief Minister of Bihar in 1967-68 for a short period before his Government was pulled down by supporting Congress Party for not rewinding the Commission appointed to inquire into allegations of corruption against Congress leaders during previous government.
The Mandals in Bihar belong to the Sadgop
Sadgop
The Sadgop are Bengali Hindu caste, found in the few part of Bihar and West Bengal in India. - History and origin :The Sadgop derive their name from the Sanskrit word sad meaning good and gopa meaning a milkman. They claim to be descendants of the Hindu god Krishna...
.
B. P. Mandal and his wife, Sita Mandal, were survived by five sons and two daughters. The third son, Maninder Kumar Mandal (popularly known as "Om jee"),and his son Nikhil Mandal in national and state politics.
The Government of India issued a stamp in honor of B. P. Mandal in 2001. A college named in his honor, B. P. Mandal Engineering College, was founded in 2007.