Shri Shibbanlal Saksena

SAKSENA , SHRI SHIBBANLAL , M.A., Janata , (Uttar Pradesh—Maharajgani—1977) :  s. of late Shri Chhotey Lal Saksena; b. at Agra, July 13, 1906; ed. at Government High School, Kanpur, Christ Church Inter College, Kanpur, D.A.V. College, Kanpur., University of Allahabad & Agra University; Unmarried; Educationist, Social Worker; Trade Unionist, and Journalist; Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy at St. Andrew’s College, Gorakhpur, 1930-31; Previously associated with the Congress, 1919—51 and 1954—69, Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party and Socialist Party, 1951—64, Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Congress, 1969—77, Congress for Democracy, February 1977 till its merger with the Janata Party; first arrested for organising Hartal in Kanpur to protest against Jallianwala Bagh tragedy in 1919 under the leadership of late Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi; during 58 years of political life, has been arrested 17 times for participating in Gandhiji’s Satyagrahas and in Kisan, Mazdoor, Harijan and Students; Movements and actually spent a total of 13 years in various jails on different occasions; sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment in ‘Gorakhpur Conspiracy’ case during “August 1942” Movement, and kept in condemned cell for 26 months, 1942—44; shot at during August rebellion on August 6, 1942; received bullet injury in Nepal Freedom Struggle on December 21, 1950; President, (i) Samajwadi Congress Party, Uttar Pradesh, (ii) “No Tax Satyagraha Compaign Committee”, (iii) Kanpur District Congress Committee, 1930—33, (iv) Gorakhpur District Congress Committee, 1937—52 and (v) Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party, 1952— 60; Member, (i) Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee and All-India Congress Committee, 1928—51, (ii) Executive of the Uttar Pradesh, Pradesh Congress Committee, 1937—52, (iii) Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Sugar Control Board for many years since 1937 (iv) Sugar Labour Inquiry Committee (Khaitan Committee), 1938—40, (v) Executive Council of the Sanskrit University, Varanasi; President, (i) All-India Sugarcane Growers’ Association, and (ii) United Chini Mill Mazdoor Federation; Ex-President, (i) All-India Sugar and Distillery Workers’ Federation, (ii) All-India Food, Tobacco and Hotel Workers’ Federation, (iii) All-India Transport Workers’ Federation, (iv) All-India Dock and Port Workers’ Federation, (v) All-India Federation of Government Employees Unions, New Delhi, (vi) North-Eastern Railwaymen’s Union, 1937—48, and (vii) Uttar Pradesh Kisan Sabha; elected Vice-President, All-India Trade Union Congress in 1947, and Hind Mazdoor Sabha in 1948; Member of Presidium of United Trade Union Congress in 1950; established (i) Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Smarak Inter College, Maharajganj in 1940 and (ii) Jawaharlal Nehru Smarak Degree College in 1966 in Maharajganj, (iii) Lal Bahadur Shastri Smarak Degree College, Anand Nagar in 1973, (iv)  Choteylal Damodar Prasad Shibbanlal Degree College, Bisokdar, Sirwa Bazar, all in Gorakhpur District, Uttar Pradesh, and acting as President, Managing Committee of all the aforesaid colleges; Member (i) Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, 1937—46 and 1964—67, (ii) Constituent Assembly of India, 1946—50, (iii) Provisional Parliament, 1950—52, (iv) First Lok Sabha, 1954—57, (v) Second Lok Sabha, 1957—62, (vi) Fifth Lok Sabha, 1971—77; several times Member, (i) Estimates Committee, (ii) Public Accounts Committee, (iii) Committee on Public Undertakings; represented Indian Labour at numerous international labour conferences in various foreign countries, and in this connection, and otherwise visited several countries; represented Sugar Workers’ Federation in International Conference in Moscow (USSR), 1954, in Sofia (Bulgaria), 1957, in Budapest (Hungary), 1960, and in Prague (Czechoslovakia), 1965; represented Transport Workers in International Conference in Bucharest (Romania), 1956; attended World Peace Council meetings, Berlin, 1954, and Stockholm, 1955.

Social activities:  Keen interest in Trade Union activities, since 1921; Organised Railway, Dock, Jute, Textile, and Transport labour, and sweepers etc. on a country-wide scale; fought for the cause of Kisans in Maharajganj Tehsil, and got their names entered on 125,000 acres of test cultivated land 1937—40; deeply interested in propagating education; numerous nurseries and kindergartens have been set up in his constituency for children’s education.

Favourite pastime and recreation:  Reading and writing; walking and social travelling.

Special interests:  Social service; uplift of the poor and down-trodden.

Publications:  (i) Harijan Survey Committee Report, 1934, (ii) Report on the condition of Sugar Factory Workers and Cane Growers, known as Volume II of the Khaitan Committee, published by Bihar Government in l940, (iii) Report on the Strike in Delhi Transport Service, 1949, (iv) “Why we Fasted”—(Story of 30 days fast undertaken for Sugar Factory Workers in 1950), (v) Why I Resigned from Congress ? 1951, (vi) ‘Sugar Racket’, 1957, (vii) Report on Khandsari Sugar, 1959 and (viii) Report on Labour in Sugar Factories, 1959.

Travels abroad:  Britain, Scotland, Ireland, France, West Germany, Austria, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, U.S.S.R., China, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Poland, East Germany, United Arab Republic, Greece, Yugoslavia, Thailand, Philippines, Burma, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Scotland, Switzerland, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan and Norway.

Permanent address:  President, Lal Bahadur Degree College, Anand Nagar, Gorakhpur District, Uttar Pradesh.