Gopinath Bordoloi

Gopinath Bordoloi Biography

Gopinath Bordoloi is an Indian freedom fighter and politician who served as the first Chief Minister of Assam. He is a Gandhian by virtue and he was affectionately called as Lokapriya which means loved by all by the then Governor of Assam, Jayram Das Doulatram. He was given the highest civilian award of India, Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1999 by Government of India.

He was born on 6^th June 1890 at Raha. His parents are Buddheswar Bordoloi and Praneswari Bordoloi. He lost his mother when he was a small boy. He finished his matriculation examination in 1907 and joined Cotton College. He passed I. A. and joined Scottish Church College at Calcutta and got his graduation in 1911. He completed his Master’s degree in Arts from Calcutta University in the year 1914.

He studied law for three years and then took up the job of Headmaster of Sonaram High School. Then he started practicing law in 1917 in Guwahati. When Assam Congress was formed in 1922 and he joined Indian National Congress. He took part in the freedom struggle. His participation in the non-cooperation movement led to his arrest and he was jailed for one year.

He worked to get a separate University and High Court for Assam. After the regional Assembly Election of 1936, the congress party won 38 seats and decided to remain as the opposition party and at that time, Bordoloi was elected as the leader of the opposition. When Md. Sadulla resigned in September 1938, he was called to form the government. As a Chief Minister, he contributed to stop Land Tax, stopped giving land to the migrant Muslims to protect the right of the indigenous people.

He resigned in 1940 and was arrested in the end of that year. Due to ill health he was released within a year. After the independence of India, he played an important role in saving Assam from being included in East Pakistan. Also he worked with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to secure Assam against China. He died on 5^th August 1950. 

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Updated: October 09, 2011