Lala Avtar Narain Gujral (also, Lala Avatar Narayan Gujral; died 1976) was an Indian politician from

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

and the father of

I. K. Gujral Inder Kumar Gujral (4 December 1919 – 30 November 2012) was an Indian diplomat, politician, and anti-colonial independence activist, who served as prime minister of India from April 1997 to March 1998. Born in Punjab, he was influenced by ...

, the 12th prime minister of India (hence also the father-in-law of noted Hindi poet Sheila Gujral), and artist

Satish Gujral Satish Gujral (25 December 1925 – 26 March 2020) was an Indian painter, sculptor, muralist and writer of the post-independent era. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, in 1999. His ...

. He represented the non-Muslim population of

West Punjab West Punjab (; ) was a province in the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955. It was established from the western-half of British Punjab, following the independence of Pakistan. The province covered an area of 159,344 km sq (61523 sq mi), i ...

in the

Constituent Assembly of Pakistan The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was the supreme federal legislature of the Dominion of Pakistan. It was established in August 1947 with the primary tasks of framing Constitution of Pakistan of 1956, a constitution; and serving as an interim ...

for a few months. His grandson

Naresh Gujral Naresh Gujral (born 19 May 1948) is a Chartered Accountant, Shiromani Akali Dal party politician and former a member of the Parliament of India representing Punjab (India), Punjab in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament. ...

is also a politician in India.

Personal life

Gujral was born in Pari Darwaza, a hamlet about twenty five miles away from

Jhelum Jhelum (; , ) is a city, located along the western bank of the Jhelum River, in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 21st largest city in Punjab and 31st largest in Pakistan, by population. Located in northern Punjab, it serves as the capital of the ...

; he lost his father Duni Chand at an age of sixteen to bubonic plague. Gujral was an alumnus of D.A.V. Lahore, and finished his higher secondary schooling from Jammu; he was a lawyer, by profession. He was married to Pushpa. Gujral's son described him as a Hindu reformist who drew inspiration from the Arya Samaj movement and especially,

Lala Lajpat Rai Lala Lajpat Rai (28 January 1865 — 17 November 1928) was an Indian revolutionary, politician, and author, popularly known as ''Punjab Kesari (Lion of Punjab).'' He was one of the three members of the Lal Bal Pal trio. He died of severe tra ...

Political career

British India

Gujral served as the district-president for the Jhelum unit of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

. He was jailed multiple times by the British Government for engaging in subversive activities.

Pakistan

As the

1946 Cabinet Mission to India A cabinet mission went to India on 24 March 1946 to discuss the transfer of power from the British government to the Indian political leadership with the aim of preserving India's unity and granting its independence. Formed at the initiative of ...

decided on partitioning India, Gujral chose to stay in Pakistan; he was ensured of a harmonious environment by

Ghazanfar Ali Khan Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan Khokhar (16 August 1895 – 17 April 1963) was an Indian politician and monarch. He was born in Pind Dadan Khan, a town in Jhelum district, British India. He was a leading member of the All India Muslim League and a t ...

, a lawyer from Jhelum and a leading League politician. On 4 July 1947, Gujral was elected by the non-Muslim members of the (yet-undivided) Punjab Assembly to the

; he attended the inaugural session on 10 August. Three days later, the non-Muslim members of the Constituent Assembly met in Gujral's home at Karachi, and formed the "Pakistan Congress"; he was elected as the Chief Whip. Soon,

Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (1 October 189516 October 1951) was a Pakistani lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the first prime minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the he ...

, the first prime minister of Pakistan, sent him to Delhi to ensure the safety of Muslims who wished to migrate to Pakistan; while in Delhi, Gujral arranged for the migration of his extended family and esp. the women. He stayed with his son in Karachi for a while, before following suit. A year later, in January 1949, the "Committee on Addition and/or Redistribution of Seats" recommended the dissolution of his seat in the Constituent Assembly.

India

Gujral settled in

Jalandhar Jalandhar () is a city in the state of Punjab, India, Punjab in India. With a considerable population, it ranks as the List of cities in Punjab and Chandigarh by population, third most-populous city in the state and is the largest city in the ...

; at Nehru's behest, he was appointed as a Judge in the Punjab Industrial Tribunal. He died on 30 May 1976 of

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

Notes

References

{{reflist Indian National Congress politicians from Punjab, India Gujral administration Members of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan Politicians from Punjab, Pakistan People from Jhelum District People from Jalandhar 1976 deaths Pakistani emigrants to India Naturalised citizens of India Members of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab