Motilal Nehru Birth Anniversary: 10 Facts About the Lawyer and Freedom Fighter

MOTILAL NEHRU BIRTH ANNIVERSARY: Pandit Motilal Nehru was a freedom fighter and one of India’s renowned lawyers. May 6 marks the birth anniversary of the prominent leader of the Indian freedom movement. Motilal Nehru’s 162nd birth anniversary falls on May 6, 2023. Motilal Nehru was the father of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. On the birth anniversary of one of the most popular figures of India’s political history, here’s a look at interesting facts about his life:

1. Motilal was born on May 6, 1861, to Gangadhar Nehru and his wife Jeorani. Gangadhar had died three months prior to Motilal’s birth.
2. Motilal Nehru was the topper among the successful candidates who passed Vakil’s examination in 1883. He started his practice as a lawyer in Kanpur and shifted to Allahabad (now Prayagraj) three years later.
3. Initially he was not an active participant in politics, but then involved himself deeply in it following the tiff between Moderates and Extremists factions of Congress. This dispute deepened after the partition of Bengal in 1905.
4. He also joined the Home Rule Movement in 1917 following the imprisonment of Annie Besant. Motilal also became the president of the Allahabad branch of the Home Rule League. In August 1918 he broke away from the Moderate faction as well and attended the session of the Bombay Congress, which demanded radical changes in the Montagu – Chelmsford Reforms.
5. He launched a national daily named The Independent on February 5, 1919. This newspaper was launched as a competitor to the established local daily paper The Leader. Motilal considered that The Leader was too moderate in approach.
6. Motilal joined Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement at the special session of Congress in Calcutta in September 1920. He decided to support the movement following the killings of Indians in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on April 13, 1919.
7. Motilal founded the Swarajya Party in January 1923 along with Chittaranjan Das and contested the elections at the end of the year. This party was recognised by the Congress as its political wing in 1925.
8. Initially, he was able to secure support from the Moderate and Muslim legislators but then found the task difficult from 1926. Communal and personal rivalries have weakened the Swarajya Party.
9. He also presided over the All Parties Conference in response to the Simon Commission which excluded the Indians. All Parties Conference made the Nehru Report. The report wanted to make a solution to the communal issue, but couldn’t receive the support of Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Aga Khan.
10. Motilal Nehru passed away on February 6, 1931.

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