Ajit Prasad Jain

Early Life

Ajit Prasad Jain was born on 6 October 1902 in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. He completed his education at Lucknow University and received his law degree. After entering politics, he soon joined the Congress party and was a long time member of the All Indian Congress Committee. He served as a Member of the U.P. Legislative Assembly (1937-1947) and Parliamentary Secretary to the UP government (1937-19 39).

Role in India’s Independence Movement

Jain’s interest in the Indian freedom struggle grew during his transition from legal practice to politics. He participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930.

Contribution to Constitution Making

Jain was elected to the Constituent Assembly from United Provinces through a Congress Party ticket. His interventions in the Assembly touched on issues of equality, emergency provisons and presidential elections.

Later Contributions

Jain was a Member of India’s Provisional Parliament and the First (1952-1957), Second (1957-1962) and Third Lok Sabhas. He was the Union Minister of Rehabilitation (1950- 1954); Minister of Food and Agriculture (1954 – 1956; 1957 – 1959) and became the President of the U.P. Provincial Congress Committee in 1961. He served as the Governor of Kerala (1965-1966). While occupying this constitutional non-partisan position he pushed for Indira Gandhi to become India’s Prime Minister, thereby creating controversy.

Jain later became the Chairman of the Irrigation Commission. The Commission’s 1972 report identified key challenges that faced India’s irrigation system and is considered an important contribution to Indian agriculture studies.   

He died on 2 January 1977 in New Delhi

Key Writings

Jain authored a book titled ‘Kashmir’ in 1972 and also published ‘Shadow of the Bear: The Indo Soviet Treaty’ (1971). He wrote a memoir on the life of  ‘Rafai Ahmed Kidwai’ that was published in 2009.