Vitthalbhai Patel's Legacy Explained: UPSC Current Affairs

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Picture Courtesy: DDNEWS

Context

The Union Home Minister inaugurated the All India Speakers' Conference, commemorating the centenary of Vitthalbhai Patel's election as the first Indian Speaker, and praised his role in establishing India's legislative traditions.

Vithalbhai Patel (1873-1933)

Early Life: Born in 1873 in Nadiad, Gujarat, older brother of Vallabhbhai “Sardar” Patel.

Education and Early Inspirations: He studied law in London, and started practice in Bombay and Ahmedabad.

His legal success gave him public visibility, inspiring him to use speeches and writing for social and political causes.

Entry into Politics: He entered politics by winning a seat in the Bombay Legislative Council in 1912.

He joined the Indian National Congress in 1915, chaired the reception committee for the Bombay Congress session in 1918.

Role in the Indian Independence Movement

Association with the Indian National Congress: By the early 1920s he became a leading voice in the Congress on legislative matters.

He argued for a mix of constitutional methods and direct action, balancing the moderate and Gandhian approaches.

Involvement in the Non-Cooperation Movement: During the Movement, he supported Gandhi’s anti-colonial campaign.

After the Chauri Chaura incident (Feb 1922), Gandhi called off Non-Cooperation. Vithalbhai opposed this suspension.
He joined with C. R. Das, Motilal Nehru and Subhas Bose to form the Swaraj Party in 1923, to contest legislative elections.
- Swaraj Party became a major force: by 1925 it was the largest group in the Central Legislative Assembly and in several provincial councils.
His role in founding Swaraj Party showed a strategic shift from boycotting to confronting British rule via elected institutions.

Vithalbhai-Sardar Patel Relation

Similar staring Track: Both brothers studied law in England and practiced in Gujarat before entering politics.
- They shared ideals of strong personal ethics and national unity from their Swaminarayan upbringing.
Mutual Respect and Divergence: They were not political rivals, but they chose different paths.
- Vithalbhai's early entry into politics and his legislative focus contrasted with Sardar Patel's rise as a mass leader and organizer.
- After Chauri Chaura incident, Sardar Patel remained with the Gandhian way, while Vithalbhai selected another path, although the motive was same "serving nation and opposing british rule"

Civil Disobedience Movement and Salt Satyagraha: Vithalbhai was seriously ill and spent much time in Europe.

In 1929–30, from abroad he endorsed Subhas Chandra Bose’s call for more militant action, criticized Congress’s leadership for being too bound by principles. This showed he supported continuing civil resistance if needed.
He left a will (1933), granting three-quarters of his money to Bose to use in promoting India's cause in other countries.
- However, latter court judged that Vithalbhai’s estate could only be inherited by his legal heirs - Sardar Patel handed the money over to the Vithalbhai Memorial Trust.

Analysis of his Political Ideology

Pragmatism: His decision to co-found the Swaraj Party demonstrates his pragmatism in using legislative councils as a tool for obstruction and opposition from within.

A "Militant" Constitutionalist: While he was a master of parliamentary procedure, he was not a moderate in the traditional sense.

His goal was to use the legislative platform to challenge and expose the limitations of British rule.
His word for Subhas Chandra Bose, calling for a "militant form of non-cooperation" and a "radical re-organisation of Congress," shows his motive.

Relationship with Gandhi: While he respected Gandhi, he was not an unquestioning follower. This demonstrates a healthy diversity of opinion within the nationalist movement.

Internationalizing the Indian Cause: Patel was one of the early leaders who understood the importance of garnering international support for India's freedom struggle. He travels abroad to raise awareness and building networks.

Legislative Contributions

Member of the Legislative Assembly

Bombay Reforms: He co-sponsored the District Municipal Act Amendment and Town Planning Bill (1914).

In 1917, after persistent effort, passage of a free and compulsory elementary education to municipal districts in the Bombay presidency outside of the city of Bombay.

Medical Legislation (1912): He pushed a bill to register all medical practitioners for malpractice discipline.

Social Reform Bills: In 1918, he introduced a Hindu Marriages Validity Bill to allow inter-caste Hindu marriages.

He advocated against untouchability; arguing national unity required dismantling caste barriers.
Though not all such bills passed, they signaled his progressive agenda.

Speaker of the Central Legislative Assembly

In the 1924 elections, Vithalbhai won a Bombay seat in the Central Legislative Assembly (the new national legislature under the 1919 Act).

In 1925 he was elected President of the Assembly – the first time an Indian held this post. (The British speaker Sir Frederick Whyte had retired.)

Setting Precedents: His innovations as Speaker – the independent Assembly Secretariat (1928), the Speaker's neutrality, and the casting vote convention – latter became the foundational principles enshrined in the Constitution and continue to govern the functioning of the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas.

Upholding Parliamentary Dignity: His tenure as Speaker was not just about passing laws. It was about establishing the dignity and independence of the legislature.

His firm stand against government interference in the Assembly's security after the Bhagat Singh bombing incident is a powerful example of this.

Advocacy for Constitutional Reforms

Vithalbhai advocated for stronger self-governance within the evolving Constitution of British India.

When the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms were presented in 1918, he was critical of them.

He argued that Indians needed more safeguards and more genuine power, not just token authority.

His questioning of the Government of India Act 1919 influenced other leaders to demand changes (later realized in the 1935 Act and ultimately the 1949 Constitution).

His speeches and legislative work showed his constitutional vision: a united India under a common national government.

As Speaker, he used his authority to advocate procedural safeguards (like neutrality and fairness) that protected minority opinion and democratic debate in the legislature.

Legacy and Contributions in Building the New Indian Republic

As the first Indian legislative Speaker, he set precedents followed by India’s first Lok Sabha Speaker and his successors.

Traditions of India’s parliamentary democracy – open debate, majority rule with minority rights, and legislative independence – trace roots to Vithalbhai’s tenure.

In this way he can be seen as an early architect of independent India’s political system, even without serving in it.

Conclusion

Vithalbhai Patel’s life combined activism, reform and leadership in India’s struggle for freedom and self-governance. He fought the British through speeches, legislative battles and the Swaraj Party, while also advancing social reforms like free education and anti-caste measures. As the first Indian Speaker of the Central Assembly, he built the procedures still used in Parliament today.

Source: DDNEWS

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Vitthalbhai Patel's tenure as the President of the Central Legislative Assembly was a watershed moment in India's constitutional history. Critically analyze. 150 words

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Vitthalbhai Patel was an nationalist, a prominent leader of the freedom struggle, and the first elected Indian President (Speaker) of the Central Legislative Assembly.

The Swaraj Party's ideology was to "wreck the British government from within" by contesting elections and creating legislative obstruction.

The Speaker is the presiding officer of a legislative body, responsible for maintaining order and conducting its business.