Born: 6th June 1890
Died: 5th August 1950
Shri. Gopinath Bordoloi was born on 6th June 1890 at Raha to Buddheswar Bordoloi and Praneswari Bordoloi. His mother took her last breath when he was merely 12 years old.
He got admitted to Cotton College. After clearing the entrance in 1907. In 1909, he passed I.A. with 1st Div. and in 1911 got admission at the renowned Scottish Church College and completed his graduation. He then pursued his M.A. from the University of Calcutta in 1914. He studied law for the next three years and came back to Guwahati without attending the final examination. He then took up a temporary job as the Headmaster of Sonaram High School, at the request of Tarun Ram Phukan. During that period, he passed the Law examination and started practicing in 1917, in Guwahati.
During that period Assam had “The Assam Association” as their only political organization.
In 1921, Assam Congress was formed as a branch of the Indian National Congress. That year Gopinath joined the Indian National Congress as a volunteer and from there, his political life started and he actively participated in the fight for independence. Due to his active participation in the Non-co-operation movement, he was arrested in 1922 and was sent to jail for a year. When the movement was discontinued following the Chauri Chaura incident, he went back to practising law. During 1930-1933, he remained away from all political activities and got engaged in various social works, as a member of the Guwahati Municipal Board and Local Board. Additionally, he was demanding a separate University and High Court for Assam constantly. In 1935, the Government of India Act was joined to form British India. In 1936, Congress participated in the Regional Assembly election. They won by 38 seats and became the party with a majority in Assembly, but due to a doubtful law which was meant to reduce the power of Ministers and the Cabinet, they were clear cut about remaining as an opposition party rather than forming the government. Shri Gopinath Bordoloi was elected as the leader of the opposition party. People were supporting the Congress party as the government remained unaware of the basic issues of Assam’s public. In September 1938, the Cabinet Ministers Md. Sadulla resigned and the Governor then invited Gopinath Bordoloi to form the government and correspondingly they took oath on 21st September. Gopinath’s political prowess, superb personality, truthfulness, and behavior made him the Chief Minister of the undivided Assam which attracted not only his colleagues but also the people of various communities. Soon Congress gained recognition as a powerful political party in Assam. Gopinath’s contributions as a CM were mainly to stop Land Tax, stop giving lands to migrant Muslims to secure the rights of indigenous people, etc. The new government did not last long because of World War II, which began in 1939. Gopinath Bordoloi’s Cabinet resigned in 1940 following an appeal by Shri. Mohandas K. Gandhi. He was arrested again by the police in 1940 and was released before the completion of one year in jail due to his declining health.
Thus, Gopinath Bordoloi played a major role in securing the future of Assam and its population.
After Independence, he worked intimately with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to tighten the jurisdiction of Assam against China on one hand and Pakistan on other. He also helped to organize the reformation of millions of refugees during the Partition. He was involved in establishing Gauhati University, High Court of Assam, Assam Medical College, Assam Veterinary College, etc. He was also a writer and wrote several books while in jail. Throughout his life, he was a strong believer of Gandhian principles and led a simple life despite being a Chief Minister. He took his last breath on 5th August 1950. The Governor of Assam Jayram Das Doulatram conferred him with the title “Lokapriya ” meaning “loved by all”.
