Dev Kant Barooah (22 February 1914 – 28 January 1996) was an Indian politician from Assam, who served as the 83rd

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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 ...

during the Emergency from 1975 to 1978 and the seventh

Governor of Bihar The governor of Bihar is the nominal head of the Indian state of Bihar. The governor is appointed by the president of India. Arif Mohammad Khan is the current governor of Bihar. Former President Zakir Husain and Ram Nath Kovind were two such ...

from 1971 to 1973. He also served as union cabinet minister for

Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOP&NG) is a List of Indian agencies, ministry of the Government of India responsible for the exploration, production, refining, distribution, marketing, import, export, and conservation of petroleum, ...

Second Indira Gandhi ministry The Second Indira Gandhi ministry was the second union council of ministers which was headed by prime minister Indira Gandhi. The ministry was constituted upon the victory of the Indian National Congress under Gandhi's leadership in the 1967 ge ...

from 5 February 1973 to 10 October 1974. He was a member of the

1st Lok Sabha The First Lok Sabha was constituted on 17 April 1952 after India's first general election. The 1st Lok Sabha lasted its full tenure of five years and was dissolved on 4 April 1957. The First Session of this Lok Sabha commenced on 13 May 1952. To ...

and

6th Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house in the Parliament of India. The 6th Lok Sabha, which ran from 23 March 1977 to 22 August 1979 was elected in February and March 1977. 11 sitting members from Rajya Sabha were elected to 6th ...

. the elder brother of famous assamese poet,

Navakanta Barua Nabakanta Barua (29 December 1926 – 14 July 2002) was a prominent Assamese people, Assamese novelist and poet. He was also known as Ekhud Kokaideu. As Sima Dutta he wrote many poems in his early life. Biography Early life Nabakanta Barua was ...

and the first Assamese person to become the

of the

Early life

Baruah was born on 22 February 1914 to Nilkanta Baruah at

Dibrugarh Dibrugarh () is a city in the Indian state of Assam, located 435 kms east of the state capital Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of the Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam. Dibrugarh also serves as the headquarters of the Sonowal Kach ...

Assam Province Assam Province was a province of British India, created in 1912 by the partition of the Eastern Bengal and Assam Province. Its capital was in Shillong. The Assam territory was first separated from Bengal in 1874 as the 'North-East Frontier' ...

(present-day

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

). He studied at Nowgong Government High School and graduated from

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

. After joining the

Indian freedom struggle The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

, he was imprisoned in 1930, 1941 and 1942.

Career

In 1949–1951, Baruah's political career began as a member of the Constituent Assembly. He is now chiefly remembered for his alleged proclamation regarding Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

, in 1974 "India is Indira. Indira is India."Ram Guha, ''India After Gandhi'', p. 467 However, he later parted ways with her and joined Congress (Urs), later renamed as

Indian Congress (Socialist) Indian Congress (Socialist) (IC(S)) also known as Congress (Secular) was a political party in India between 1978 and 1986. The party was formed through a split in the Indian National Congress. Initially the party was known as the Indian Nation ...

. He was the

from 1 February 1971 to 4 February 1973. He died in New Delhi. He is the first and only Assamese to be elected as a president of

. Baruah was a noted poet as well. His collection of Assamese poems, ''Sagar Dekhisa'' (''সাগৰ দেখিছা''), is still very popular. He was the elder brother of famous Assamese poet

Nabakanta Barua Nabakanta Barua (29 December 1926 – 14 July 2002) was a prominent Assamese novelist and poet. He was also known as Ekhud Kokaideu. As Sima Dutta he wrote many poems in his early life. Biography Early life Nabakanta Barua was born 29 Decembe ...

References

External links

* , - , - 1914 births 1996 deaths 20th-century Indian poets India MPs 1952–1957 India MPs 1977–1979 Assamese-language poets The Emergency (India) Governors of Bihar Indian Congress (Socialist) politicians Indian National Congress (U) politicians Lok Sabha members from Assam Members of the Cabinet of India People from Dibrugarh district Presidents of the Indian National Congress Speakers of the Assam Legislative Assembly Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministers of India Indian National Congress politicians from Assam Assam MLAs 1957–1962 20th-century Indian male writers {{Assam-INC-politician-stub