This resource provides information about the life of Jogendra Nath Mandal, a Dalit leader from Bengal. It includes his relationship with Ambedkar, the reasons for his support to the Muslim League, his tenure as a minister in Pakistan and his return to India. It is a compilation of information published earlier. It mentions the reasons for and the assessments of various persons. This resource focuses on Mandal’s support to Ambedkar and the reasons for his various political stands. This website provides additional information on other leaders supported by Mandal.
Jogendra Nath Mandal biography: early life
Born in 1904 in the Barisal district of present day Bangladesh, Jogendra Nath Mandal comes from the Namasudra community, a Dalit community of Bengal (present day Bangladesh and West Bengal). The sources mention his education at a university in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1928 and his law degree in 1934. Prior to his law degree, he worked as a teacher and journalist. After his law degree, he established himself as a lawyer at the Bar of Calcutta. He was actively involved with the Indian National Congress during his student days. He left Congress later to join the Communist party of India. Our page on Scheduled Castes of India provides information on the legislative terminology used in this resource.
An American English translation of the Caste Verification certificates issued to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is given below.
Jogendra Nath Mandal’s Caste Verification Certificate states:
“Jogendra Nath Mandal son of Shri Keshabchandra Mandal of village Bhitorpara, Police Station – Dorigang, District – Barisal, West Bengal is of Nadar (Namasudra) caste, sub-caste Nadar Chake and Village Kul. He is a citizen of India.”
The translation into American English is:
Jogendra Nath Mandal, son of Keshabchandra Mandal, of Bhitorpara village, Dorigang police station, Barisal district, West Bengal, is of Nadar (Namasudra) caste, Nadar Chake and Kul. He is a citizen of India.
Bengal politics
He was elected to the Bengal Legislative Assembly in 1937 from Bakarganj North-East (ThePrint). In 1938, Lower-caste Hindu legislators of the Assembly formed the Independent Scheduled Caste Party (Forward Press) (Wikipedia, ‘Independent Scheduled Caste Party’). Forward Press states he was born in the social and cultural struggles of the Matua faith and states he had a productive term in the Assembly (Forward Press). Our guides to present-day Bangladesh and Pakistan explain the region post-partition.
Jogendra Nath Mandal & Ambedkar
Ambedkar lost his Constituent Assembly seat in Bombay in 1946 and with Mandal’s support, he contested from Bengal, where in the absence of Mandal’s support to the Dalits, he won (Zee News; ThePrint). Wikipedia has this entry with a ‘citation needed’ tag, therefore view the log (Wiki). Zee News mentions Mandal as a member of the Constituent Assembly (Zee News). Our guides to the Constituent Assembly of India and to Dakshayani Velayudhan mention other Dalit members and represent the Assembly.
Mandal was involved in the making of both parts of United Bengal. Mandal supported the Pakistan resolution. Jinnah proposed Mandal for the Muslim League government of Bengal. Mandal was appointed Minister for Law and Legislative Procedure (Wikipedia). Our guides on separate electorates, Gandhi and Ambedkar, and elections, offer insights into the political debates of the period.
The first law minister of Pakistan
In 1947, Mandal was appointed the first law minister of Pakistan and held this position until he was relieved of his duties in 1950. Meanwhile, in India, B.R. Ambedkar was appointed the first law minister of India. Consequently, Mandal became the first law minister of a Muslim country and India’s neighboring country, Pakistan. (Wikiwand, “Jogendra Nath Mandal”). We do not evaluate rank these positions.
Jogendra Nath Mandal resignation letter
Jogendra Nath Mandal tendered his resignation to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan on October 8, 1950. There is limited information about Mandal’s resignation letter. Wikipedia claims Mandal cited the growing religious prejudice against Hindus, and the government’s failure to take any action against the perpetrators of riots, who had attacked and murdered members of the Dalits and other minority communities. Wiki2 also corroborates with the same information as Wikipedia. Mandal also wrote about 500 cases of killing and other atrocities against the Dalits by the army and the police in West Bengal, and by the Muslim League activists. He also lost his faith on the Government of Pakistan. After the death of Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan’s Government adopted a Constitutional amendment declaring Pakistan as an Islamic State, which was also against the principles Mandal believed in. I could not find the original copy of his letter, so I have relied on the published information, of which we have quoted where pertinent.
Return to India and death
After his resignation, he returned to India. He died on 5th October 1968 at the age of 64 in West Bengal. According to Zee News, he suffered a heart attack while crossing a river in a boat.
Assessment of Jogendra Nath Mandal
ThePrint writes that although Ambedkar and Phule are recognized as advocates for caste reform, Mandal’s name has been lost in the process (ThePrint). Caravan identifies Mandal as the leader that the BJP and the BSP attempted to appropriate during the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections, and mentions that Mandal’s letter has been misquoted (Caravan). This report takes a politically-neutral stance toward the use of Mandal’s letter. It should be mentioned that Mandal’s letter is a primary source, and other sources, including analyses and summaries, are of lesser historical importance. It is crucial to locate primary sources during research. This is a skill that is emphasized during the Ambedkar-ite Educational Program. It covers website development, blog writing, email marketing and additional digital skills for 297 rupees (~3.75 USD) and is tutored by the Ambedkar-ite Institute. You may learn these skills for free, including how to engage in Critical Digital Activism, by joining the Institute.
What the sources disagree on
- Birth Date: 29 January 1904 (Wikipedia) or 29 February (Forward Press).
- Birth Place: Barisal District, (one source names a village).
- Importance to the Ambedkar Election Campaign: Various sources mention the role as ‘pivotal’; however, this is challenged by the Wikipedia entry on the subject, which reads ‘citation needed’.
- His Reasons for Resigning: Differ in their emphasis.
Summary
Jogendra Nath Mandal (1904-1968) was a Namasudra leader in what is now Bangladesh. He was part of the Bengal Legislative Assembly (1937-1946) and was the only member to support Ambedkar’s (1942) election campaign. After the partition of India, Mandal joined the Muslim League and became Pakistan’s first minister for Labour and Law (1947). In October 1950, Mandal resigned from the assembly citing’ lack of effective state action’ against rioters and ‘anti-Hindu’ bias. He returned to India in 1968. Mandal’s main accomplishments are documented in the various accounts, the reasoning for his resignation is challenged.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Jogendra Nath Mandal?
A Namasudra Dalit leader from Bengal (1904–1968) who was Pakistan’s first law and labour minister and later returned to India.
Why did Jogendra Nath Mandal join the Muslim League?
In his resignation letter, he wrote that the economic interests of the Muslims in Bengal were generally identical with those of the Scheduled Castes, according to Caravan.
Why did he resign from the Pakistan cabinet?
On October 8, 1950, he resigned, citing a perceived anti-Hindu bias and the failure to act against rioters who attacked Dalits and minorities.
What was his link with Ambedkar?
Sources say that he helped Ambedkar win a seat in the Constituent Assembly from Bengal in 1946.
When did Jogendra Nath Mandal die?
On October 5, 1968, at Bangaon in West Bengal.
SOURCES
- Wikipedia, “Jogendra Nath Mandal”
- Wikipedia, “Independent Scheduled Caste Party”
- Wiki2, “Jogendra Nath Mandal” (Wikipedia republished)
- Wikiwand, “Jogendra Nath Mandal”
- ThePrint, “Jogendra Nath Mandal, a Bengali Dalit leader who went on to become a Pakistani minister”
- Forward Press, “Jogendra Nath Mandal’s relentless struggle for the rights of the historically deprived”
- Caravan, “The historical figure both the BJP and the BSP tried to claim during the Uttar Pradesh election”
- Zee News, “The Dalit Leader Who Chose Pakistan, Became Law Minister, Then Returned To India”
- J.N. Mandal, resignation letter to Liaquat Ali Khan, October 8, 1950 (please add the full text and a reference)
- Dwaipayan Sen, The Decline of the Caste Question: Jogendranath Mandal and the Defeat of Dalit Politics in Bengal (Cambridge University Press, 2018) (please add page references)
