Mohammed Gaffar Ali was an Indian lawyer and politician, belonging to the Communist Party of India (CPI).[1][2] He was a leading figure of the Praja Mandal movement for democratic reforms in Jaipur State, and would later lead the CPI organization in Jaipur city. Gaffar Ali was a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly 1972-1977.
Biography
editGaffar Ali was born in Jaipur around 1915-1916, the son of Haji Ashiq Ali.[1][3] His family originally hailed from Kakori.[3] Gaffar Ali received primary education in Urdu, Hindi and English, and graduated with B.A. degree from Jaipur and a LL.B. degree from Lucknow.[1][3]
In 1938 Gaffar Ali took part in the founding of the Jaipur State Praja Mandal.[3][4] He was a member of the Praja Mandal Working Committee.[1][3] He was a student movement leader at the time.[5] It was generally uncommon for Muslims to be associated with the Praja Mandal movement, and Gaffar Ali would later recount hostile attitudes from the community on his involvement with the movement.[3] Gaffar Ali began practising Law in 1939.[6]
He would be active in the organization of the Railway Workers Union and the Metal Industries Workers Unions and mobilization of Harijans.[3] In 1946 he was detained for two months, for his role in the labour movement.[1][3]
Within CPI in the 1940s, Gaffar Ali was part of the internal minority tendency that opposed the party line on the Pakistan question.[4][7] He was a critic of the Muslim League and vociferously argued against the notion that religion could function as the foundation of nationhood.[4]
Gaffar Ali stood as the CPI candidate in the Jaipur City A seat in the 1952 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election. He finished in fifth place with 510 votes (4.44%).[8] In the 1957 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election he contested on an independent ticket in the Johri Bazar constituency, finishing in third place with 2,197 votes (12.35%).[9]
As of the 1960s, Gaffar Ali was the secretary of the CPI Jaipur City Committee.[10] He was a councillor of the Jaipur Municipal Corporation.[1]
Ahead of the 1972 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election, the Congress(R) allocated five seats to CPI to contest.[11] Gaffar Ali stood as the CPI candidate in the Johri Bazar constituency and won the seat - obtaining 20,182 votes (45.40%).[12] The election of Gaffar Ali surprised other political actors, as the Johri Bazar area was not seen as a CPI stronghold. The constituency had been held by the Hindu nationalist Jan Sangh since 1957, whilst Jaipur city overall was perceived as a Swatantra Party bastion.[13] In the mid-1970s Gaffar Ali was included in a subcommittee of the CPI Central Executive Council on the Muslim question.[14]
At the end of his tenure as legislator, he ran for re-election in the 1977 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election but lost the seat. He finished in second place with 8,714 votes (19.89%).[15]
He again contested the Johri Bazar seat in the 1980 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election, finishing in third place with 2,686 votes (4.68%).[16] The CPI again fielded Gaffar Ali as a candidate in the 1990 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election, along with other party veterans. Gaffar Ali contested the Kishanpole seat, finishing in fourth place with 2,530 votes (2.79%).[17][18]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rājasthāna vārshikī evaṃ vyakti paricaya. p. 464
- ↑ The Changing Bhangis in India: A Study of Caste Association. Sublime Publications, 1999. p. 68
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 I. Mallikarjuna Sharma (2000). In Retrospect: West India. Ravi Sasi Enterprises. p. 73-74, 76.
- 1 2 3 4 Janata. March 17, 2002. pp. 5-6
- ↑ Vyas, Indira. Freedom Movement in Rajasthan: With Special Reference to Ajmer-Merwara. University Book House, 2004. p. 4
- ↑ Rajasthan Year Book & Who's who. Samriddhi Publications, 1976. p. 18
- ↑ "Are Palestinians Allowed to Resist? (Part II)". The Palestine Chronicle. February 28, 2009.
- ↑ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1951 to the Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan" (PDF). Election Commission of India.
- ↑ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1957 to the Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan" (PDF). Election Commission of India.
- ↑ The Fight for Peace: The Long Road to Tashkent. Hardy & Ally (India), 1966. p. 295
- ↑ "Alliance Outlined". Link. February 1972. p. 23.
- ↑ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1972 to the Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan" (PDF). Election Commission of India.
- ↑ Bhambhri, C. P., and P. S. Verma. VOTING BEHAVIOUR: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE MAJORITY AND MINORITY COMMUNITIES. The Indian Journal of Political Science, vol. 35, no. 4, 1974, pp. 332–39. JSTOR.
- ↑ Muslim Minority and the Communist Party. Communist Party of India, 1975. p. 22
- ↑ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1977 to the Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan" (PDF). Election Commission of India.
- ↑ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1980 to the Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan" (PDF). Election Commission of India.
- ↑ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1990 to the Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan" (PDF). Election Commission of India.
- ↑ "Janata Dal, BJP rivalry in Rajasthan". Link. 1990. p. 13.
- ↑ "Forgotten Hero". Times of India. January 8, 2002.