FROM THE BLOGGER’S LIBRARY: REMEMBERING K.B.SAHAY:3
Sri Nageshwar
Prasad, one of the senior-most advocates; one-time Chairman, Hazaribag
Municipality, Ex Honorary Secretary, Hazaribag Central Cooperative Bank
Limited and a person devoted to social works, delves into the past to sketch the portrait of Sri. K. B. Sahay, the man who dominated Bihar politics for a long time. (Editor)
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Sri Krishna
Ballabh Sahay was born on 31st December 1898 in a middle-class
family. His father was late Ganga Sahay a sub-inspector of Police. From the
very beginning, he was a brilliant student. He graduated from the local Saint
Columba’s College in 1919 with Honours in English, First class first. His
vernacular was Urdu. He learned good Hindi when he was in active politics.
In 1919 he
joined Patna College and took up M.A. in English. He could just finish first-year M.A. course when he gave up studies in 1920 on the call of Gandhiji and
became a lecturer of National College at Sadakat Ashram. He joined
Non-cooperation movement in 1921 which he continued till 1923. He was jailed
for six months in 1923. He was elected to the Legislative Council of Bihar and
he continued as such for 6 years. In 1925 he attended Shimla Conference with
Late Sri Krishna Sinha. He was jailed for 6 months in 1925.
He joined Salt
Satyagraha in 1930 and was jailed in 1930 for one year. In 1936 he was elected
to the Legislative Assembly and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary of Chief
Minister of Bihar, the late Sri Krishna Sinha. He by his work came very close
to “Siri Babu”, as he was affectionately called and made himself indispensable.
He used to deal with all the files from almost all departments. Siri Babu was heard
to say that he cannot think of a Ministry in Bihar without K. B. Bihar Ministry
was dissolved after the break of the Second Wolrd War. He was all the time
working hard for the Congress and even to sell Khadi carrying the same on his
back. In 1942 he joined the Quit India Movement and was jailed. He had offered
individual Satyagraha and was jailed again. In 1946, he became the Revenue
Minister of Bihar and in this period he got enacted the Zamindari Abolition Act
and successfully implemented it. He was also responsible for the enactment of the Private
Protected Forest Act in teeth of hard opposition. In 1948, he was responsible
for bringing electricity to Hazaribagh town. Due to his efforts and endeavour,
Water supply was brought to Hazaribagh. It was K. B. who brought the then Chief
Minister of Bihar Sri Babu in 1954 at Hazaribagh and got the water supply and
water tower no 1 inaugurated by him.
In 1952 he was elected to the Assembly from Giridih constituency although he lost at Barkagaon. He was Revenue Minister then also.
However, in 1957, he lost the election from Giridih constituency but in 1962 he was elected from Patna West constituency and was appointed Cooperative Minister after some time and remained till 1963. He was then elected leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party and subsequently became the Chief Minister of Bihar and remained as Chief Minister till 1967. In 1967, he lost both from Hazaribagh and Patna West constituency. In 1971 general elections, he contested for Parliament to the ticket of Congress (Organization) (after the split of Congress in 1969) from Giridih Constituency but lost it. In 1974 he was elected MLC but he could not take oath in the House as he died in a car accident. He was returning from Patna after attending the marriage of my nephew on 03-06-1974. Thus a most eventful career was nipped before time.
I remember him to have said on occasions that he will not bend but break. It must be said to his credit that he managed almost all elections for the Congress in Bihar. He used to maintain a strict account of the funds.
Hazaribagh
should be indebted to K.B. for establishing Border Security Training Center at
Meru, 6 miles away from Hazaribagh. He was also responsible for the
establishment of Bihar Alloy and Steel Limited at Patratu providing employment
to the sons of the soil.
I cannot but
mention one incident. In 1964 April, one fine morning he came to my residence
and said that he was holding Bihar State Congress Conference at Hazaribagh and
the Chief Guest will be late Smt. Indira Gandhi, who was then Union Minister of
Information and Broadcasting and he further said that the late Sri. Rajendra
Mishra, the then President of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee, would be
the Chairman of the Reception Committee and that I should shoulder the
responsibility of the General Secretary of the Reception Committee. I had shown
my inability but I had to yield to his dictates. The function was a real
success.
Late K.B. was
very simple in food habits. He was absolute in his opinion. He did not like
loose talks. No man is perfect and K.B. was also accused of being rough of
tongue. He was a good man at heart and people often misunderstood him.
Thus say that I
first came in his contact in 1918 when I was only 11 years old. He introduced
me to social work through Bihar Students Debating Association then. These were
very important. I joined Congress in 1931 although I was Congress-minded from
the very beginning. I was all the time with him in elections and other works.
I cannot but
mention that had not the two giants of Hazaribagh, Late Sri. K. B. Sahay and
Late Raja Bahadur Kamakhya Narayan Singh clashed the fate and face of
Hazaribagh and Bihar would have been different. They would have controlled the
politics of Bihar and to a certain extent politics of India.
K. B. Sahay had
suffered too much and along with him his children during the hard days of Congress.
We sometimes differed sharply only to agree at last. He had a hand in my career
and all gratitude to him for them.
May his soul
rest in peace.
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“The best
index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any
good, and how he treats people who can't fight back.”
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