Balwantrai Mehta

Balwantrai Mehta
2nd Chief Minister of Gujarat
In office 25 February 1963 – 19 September 1965
Preceded by	Dr. Jivraj Mehta
Succeeded by	Hitendra K Desai
Personal details
Born	(1900-02-19)19 February 1900 Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India
Died	Suthari, Kachchh, Gujarat
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse(s)	Sarojben
Religion	Hindu

Balwantrai Mehta ((1900-02-19)19 February 1900 – 19 September 1965(1965-09-19)) was an Indian politician who served as the second Chief Minister of Gujarat state, India. He participated in Indian independence movement and later hold various public offices. He is considered as the 'Architect of Panchayati Raj ' due to his contributions towards democratic decentralisation.

Life

Balwantrai Gopalji Mehta was born on 19 February 1900 in Bhavnagar State in a middle-class family. He studied up to B.A classes but refused to take the degree from the foreign government. He participated in Indian independence movement. He joined the national movement of non-co-operation in 1920. He founded Bhavanagar Praja Mandal in 1921 for carrying on the freedom movement in that state. He participated in the Civil Disobedience movement from 1930 to 1932. He also participated in Bardoli Satyagraha. He was sentenced for three years imprisonment in Quit India Movement of 1942. He spent total seven years in prison during British Raj. On Mahatma Gandhi's suggestion, he accepted membership of the Congress Working Committee. When Jawaharlal Nehru became president of All India Congress Committee, he was elected its general secretary. He was twice elected, in 1949 and was again elected in Indian general election, 1957 to the 2nd Lok Sabha from Gohilwad (Bhavnagar) Constituency.

He was the Chairman of Estimate committee of Parliament. He chaired the committee set up by Government of India in January 1957 to examine the working of the Community Development Programme and the National Extension Service and to suggest measures for their better working. The committee submitted its report in November 1957 and recommended the establishment of the scheme of 'democratic decentralisation' which finally came to be known as Panchayati Raj.

He also remained President of Servants of the People Society (Lok Sevak Mandal), a social service organisation founded by Lala Lajpat Rai, in 1921.

He succeeded Jivraj Narayan Mehta as the Chief Minister of Gujarat on 25 February 1963. He founded Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, an educational institution.

Death

Main article: Gujarat Beechcraft incident

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, on 19 September 1965, then serving chief minister, Mehta flew in Beechcraft commuter aircraft from Tata Chemicals, Mithapur to Kutch border between India and Pakistan. It was piloted by Jahangir Engineer, the former Indian Air Force pilot. The aircraft was shot down by Pakistan Air Force pilot Qais Hussain, assuming it to be a reconnaissance mission. Mehta was killed in the crash along with his wife, three members of his staff, one journalist and two crew member.

In August 2011, Pakistani fighter pilot, Qais Hussain who shot the plane down, wrote to the daughter of the Beechcraft pilot apologising for his mistake, "civilian plane was mistaken for a reconnaissance aircraft by Pakistani controllers, and he was ordered to shoot it down"

Commemoration

The Department of Post, Government of India has issued a special postage stmp of face value INR 3.00 to commemorate his 100th birth anniversary on 19 February 2000.