![]() Partap Singh made a mark as Minister for Rehabilitation and Development (1947-1949), a crucial position since lakhs of refugees needed relief, accommodation and work. He was vocal and active in his opposition of the malba tax, which was eventually abolished. As an MLA, he worked for agrarian reforms and presented the Jhatka Meat Bill, which was passed in due time. Ironically, later, he opted to stay with the Congress when the Akali Dal walked out of its alliance with the party in 1942. He would cement his position in the 1937 election by soundly defeating the Congress candidate, Baba Gurdit Singh of the Komagata Maru fame, for whom Jawaharlal Nehru had campaigned. It led to his arrest for civil disobedience, a jail sentence later commuted to a fine, and his recognition as a leader, soon general secretary of the Akali Dal in 1934. The Ghadar movement had an impact on him he dallied with communism and became active in Akali politics. ![]() Although he would be back in India by 1929, and thus escape the devastating effects of the Great Depression, what he saw there would inform his decisions. The lad from Kairon village had to work on farms, plucking fruit, and for the Ford Motor Company to supplement his income. In the US, Partap Singh earned his Masters in Economics from University of California at Berkeley and went to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, for Masters in Political Science. Partap Singh Kairon was a man of the masses, and enjoyed the firm backing of PM Nehru. He had gone, with his brother Jaswant, to America to study further after graduating from Khalsa College, Amritsar. Their family was well known for supporting the cause of education, and for its anti-colonial leanings. Here was a khadi kurta-pajama clad man who proudly spoke colloquial Punjabi and fluent English, with traces of an American accent. A man with an expansive worldview, Partap Singh Kairon was a force of change for Punjab.
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