Raipur. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said that Minimata had an incomparable persona. Known for her simplicity and values, Minimata dedicated her entire life to the welfare of humankind. She played an important role in getting the Prevention of Untouchability Act passed in the Parliament, to protect the civil rights of Dalits. She not only advocated eradication of social evils such as child marriage and dowry system in the society, but also raised the issue in the Parliament.
Mr. Baghel was addressing the Minimata Memorial Day and Pratibha Samman Samaroh at Shaheed Smarak Bhawan in the capital city Raipur today. This event was organized by Guru Ghasidas Sahitya and Sanskriti Akademi, Chhattisgarh Satnami Samaj. At the event, Mr. Baghel released a special cover issued by the Post Department on the occasion of Minimata’s 50th death anniversary.In his address to the program, Chief Minister further said that Minimata was the epitome of women power and dignity. Her strong leadership skills gave her a distinct identity among the national leaders. She reached the peak of popularity and recognition because of her simplicity and demeanor. As the first female Member of Parliament (MP) of Chhattisgarh, her contribution towards upliftment of Dalits and women will always be remembered.
Chief Minister said that Minimata actively participated in the works of social reforms and betterment of every section of society. She had good knowledge of Assamese, English, Bengali, Hindi and Chhattisgarhi languages. She was the embodiment of truth, non-violence and love. She was married to Guru Agamdas, the fourth descendant of Gurubaba Ghasidas ji. After marriage, she came to Chhattisgarh from Assam as Guru Mata, since then she devoted her whole life for the development of this region. After independence, the first election to the Lok Sabha was held in 1951-52. Minimata was a member of the Lok Sabha from 1951 to 1971 as an MP. She was elected the first female MP of Lok Sabha from the Bilaspur-Durg-Raipur reserved seat in undivided Madhya Pradesh. Thereafter, she won Lok Sabha elections four times from Janjgir Lok Sabha constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes in the delimitation.
Administration and Labour Minister Dr. Shivkumar Dahria, while addressing the program, thanked Chief Minister on behalf of Satnami Samaj for naming Giroudpuri as Guru Ghasidas Giroudpuri Dham. In the program, Chief Minister also felicitated the talented students and people of Satnami Samaj, for their excellent works and achievements. On this occasion, Raipur Rural MLA Satyanarayan Sharma, Raipur Mayor Ejaz Dhebar, Charoda Mayor Nirmal Kosale and a large number of followers of Satnam Panth were present.
