Political Life Post-independence

By Sambeet Dash

In 1946, Nilakantha Das’s ex-colleague at Satyavadi, Pandit Lingaraj Mishra was elected to the Odisha Assembly. But an insecure Harekrushna Mahatab was reluctant to make ‘Mishre’ (Mishra jee in Odia) a minister. A peeved Mishre approached Pandit Nilakantha, after whose intervention Lingaraj Mishra was made the minister of “Health and Education”.

Around the same time, with a plan to build a modern hospital in Satyavadi, Pandit Nilakantha Das invited the Queen of RANAPUR (another vassal state) to a massive rally organized by him at Gopabandhu Das’s cremation ground. Thousands swarmed the meeting. Impressed by Pandit Das’s oratory skills and dedication for a good cause, the queen immediately granted 2.5 lakh Rupees, a stupendous amount at that time. Lingaraj Mishra repaid his debt to Nilakantha by facilitating its grant as the minister of health.

In 1951, Pandit Nilakantha contested as an Independent candidate against his rival from the Congress. It was a risky step to contest against the official Congress candidate, a party that was at its height of popularity after independence, and the one which brought freedom for the country.

Being from the Congress party and belonging to a party in power at the center his rival had the advantage of MATARA GAADI (automobile), though motorable roads were a luxury those days. In contrast Pandit Das’s best luxury was his bullock cart which took him to the nooks and corners of his constituency, the best mode of transportation in a labyrinth of fair- weather roads connecting the villages that dotted his constituency.

The indebted Satyavadi folks had not forgotten their hero. They spent their own money and effort, volunteering to campaign and working hard for their candidate’s victory. Pandit Das won the election by a comfortable margin.

Nilakantha Das again won the election in 1957 – this time uncontested.

He then became speaker of the Odisha Assembly in 1958, the same year when Odisha Sahitya Academy was instituted at Bhubaneswar with an annual budget of Rs.1 lakh. Nilakantha was the President of the Academy for a year.

Soon he got a letter from Nehru, who knew Nilakantha for a long time, requesting him to join the Congress party. Nabakrushna Chaudhary, another prominent Congress leader, persuaded Nilakantha to agree to Pandit Nehru’s request.

(This is the 15th in series of recapitulation in the writer’s own words portions of Pandit Nilakantha Das’s Biography in Odia.)

Sambeet Dash is an Odia technocrat living in Georgia US.