Vithalbhai
Patel, elder brother of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was one of the
stalwarts of the nationalist movement in the ‘twenties’ and ‘thirties’.
Jawaharlal Nehru in his autobiography, wrote that he had been “a great
and indomitable fighter for India’s freedom”. He joined the Congress in
1915. Later he became a Swaraj Party leader and a close associate of
Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das. A brilliant parliamentarian, he was elected
as President of the Central Assembly in 1925. Master of parliamentary
rules and procedures he evoked praise from all quarters for editing the
proceedings of the house. Yet, as Nehru has noted, he had become a thorn
in the tender side of the government on account of his independence (of
them) and attempts were made to clip his wings”. Vithalbhai Patel was
born on 27 September 1873 in Karmasad in Gujarat. After an early
education at Karmasad and Nadiad, Vithalbhai went to Bombay and
qualified for district leadership. In a few years, he became a
well-known lawyer with considerable practice. His younger brother,
Vallabhbhai followed in his footsteps. After his return from England in
1908, as a barrister, Vithalbhai practiced in Bombay. Two years later
after he lost his wife, he devoted himself entirely to public affairs.
He was President of the Bombay Corporation and later he was elected to
the Bombay Legislative Council as a representative of local
self-governing bodies. Elected to the Central Assembly in New Delhi in
1915 he was very actively engaged in the political affairs of the day.
In 1918, he was the Chairman of the Reception Committee for the Congress
session held in Bombay. The next year he was representing the Congress
in a delegation sent to England to represent its views to the Joint
Parliamentary Committee on the Govt. of India Act. During the following
year also he again went to England to plead India’s case. When Gandhiji
started the non-cooperation movement Vithalbhai resigned his Assembly
seat. Later in 1922, when differences arose on the issue of Council
entry Vithalbhai along with C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru formed the Swaraj
Party. This Party won 45 seats in the 1923 elections. Two years later
he became the President of the Central Assembly. In 1930, when the
Congress boycotted the legislatures, Vithalbhai resigned. The same year
he was arrested along with other members of the Working Committee. Due
to ill health, which dogged him from then on, he was released before the
end of his term. In 1932 he was once again arrested, but due to
illness, was allowed to go to Vienna for treatment. But illness did not
prevent him from proceeding on a strenuous lecture tour of the United
States. On his return to Vienna, he met Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who
was then living there. Vithalbhai died on 22 October 1933 in Geneva,
where he had gone to plead India’s case at the League of Nations.
Jawaharlal Nehru has paid a moving tribute to Vithalbhai Patel which
cannot be bettered. “His passing away was a painful event and the
thought of our veteran leaders leaving us in the way, one after another,
in the midst of our struggle was extraordinarily depressing”. Many
tributes were paid to Vithalbhai and most of these laid stress on his
ability as a Parliamentarian and his success as President of the
Assembly. Vithalbhai was something much more than that – he had been a
great and indomitable fighter for India’s freedom. Source: Information
Brochure of Commemorative Postage Stamp issued by Department of Posts.
Refrence: https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/index.htm
