Achhar Singh Chhina

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Comrade Achhar Singh Chhina

Born October 1, 1899(1899-10-01)
Amritsar, Punjab, India
Died March 21, 1981 (aged 81)
Amritsar, Punjab, India
Occupation Politician

Comrade Achhar Singh Chhina (1899-1981), was an Indian communist politician and independence activist[1]. He served as a Communist Party of India MLA in the Punjab Legislative Assembly for two terms.

Contents

[edit] Early life

He was born at village Harsha Chhina, Tehsil Ajnala, Amritsar, Punjab, India. In 1921 he went to the USA along with Pratap Singh Kairon former chief minister of Punjab. In 1922 he joined Berkeley University, California. The same year he joined the Gadar Party in San Francisco and got his first lesson in national politics.

[edit] Political career

In 1932 he left America and went to the Soviet Union for further studies on socialism. He returned to India in 1936 and was arrested at Lahore in the same year, and was detained in Lahore Fort for two months. In 1937 he was interned in his own village for the whole year. In March 1938 police spies attacked a Congress meeting at Fatehwal village, Amritsar and were killed. Being involved in the Fathehwall Murder Case he had to go underground to escape the clutches of the police[2].

[edit] Netaji and Comrade Chhina's first meeting at Calcutta

Subash Chandra Bose aka Netaji had first met Comrade Achhar Singh Chhina in April 1939 when he was visiting the Gaya district. At that time Chhina was hiding himself from the police as a result of the Fathewall Murder Case. Chhina sought Bose’s help and Bose advised him not to give himself up to the Police.

In early June 1940 Bose had shown his interest to Niranjan Singh Talib, a well-known freedom fighter to met Chhina. Achhar Singh Chhina visited Calcutta and met Netaji [3]. Bose expressed his desire to Comrade Chhina to go to the Soviet Union to meet Stalin. For this purpose Achhar Singh Chhina visited the Frontier Province to make arrangements for his escape to Russia. There he met Bhagat Ram Talwar who helped him to make arrangements for the stay of Netaji at Peshawar and from there for his escape to Kabul[4]. After making necessary arrangements he returned to Calcutta to bring Netaji to Peshawar, but Bose was arrested for taking part in Black Hole of Calcutta Movement in 1940 and consequently could not avail himself of the opportunity[5].

But Achhar Singh Chhina himself utilized the opportunity and went to the Soviet Union in 1940 by crossing the Hindukush Mountains on foot through Kabul and discussed the possibility of Independence with top Soviet Leaders[6].

[edit] Achhar Singh Chhina and International Politics

In 1942. The CPI was officially against the Quit India movement. Achhar Singh Chhina [known as ‘Larkin’ in Soviet Union] was actively involved in international politics. He worked closely with CPI to develop a directive of CPI, and carried that directive from the Soviet Union to India with the full knowledge of the British authorities.

While crossing the Hindukush he was arrested by British government at Gilgit and was brought back to Lahore where he was locked up in Lahore Fort Cell. After staying for 4 months in Lahore Fort, he was transferred to the Campbell pore Jail from where he was released on 1st May 1942.

[edit] President of the Punjab Kisan Sabha

In 1942 he was elected as President of the All India Kisan Sabha - Punjab and held this position for seven years. It was in that capacity that he organized the Harsha Chhina Moga Morcha in 1946, as a result of which he was detained in Lahore jail for three months [7]. He also held a post of Secretary of the Punjab Communist Party.

[edit] After Independence

In 1948 after India independence he went underground but was arrested in 1950 and detained in Ambala jail. While he was in jail, he was elected from Ajnala as a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly (MLA) in 1952. In 1957 he was again elected from Ajnala as a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly (MLA) and remained its member till 1962[8].He was a founder of ‘Naveen Janta Public school’ which was taken over by the Punjab Government later and the name of the school was changed to “Comrade Achhar Singh Chhina Senior Secondary School”.

[edit] Positions Held

1. President of the Kisan Sabha Punjab
2. Secretary of the Punjab Communist Party
3. Member Punjab Legislative Assembly - Ajnala (1952-1956)
4. Member of the Legislative assembly - Ajnala (1956-1962)
5. Member of the Ghadar Party Martyrs Memorial (Desh Bhagat Yaadgar), Punjab
6. Member Gadhar Party San Francisco (1922)
7. Founder of Naveen Vidhya Mandir, School.

[edit] References

  • Mridula “Peasants in India's Non-Violent Revolution: Practice and Theory” (India) 2004 p 227
  • Bipan Chandra “The Indian Left: Critical Appraisals” ( India) 1983 p447
  • Sohan Singh Josh “My Tryst with Secularism: An Autobiography” (India) 1991 p294
  • Bhagwan Josh “Communist Movement in Punjab, 1926-47” (India) 1979 p221
  • Gurbachan Singh Mangat “The Tiger Strikes: An Unwritten Chapter of Netaji's Life History” (India) 1986 p13
  • Ralhan, O. P “Encyclopaedia of Political Parties” (India) 1997
  • Dept. of Political Science, Guru Nanak Dev University “Punjab Journal of Politics” (India) 16 March 2007 p73
  • All India Reporter–1940 p218
  • Dept. of Political Science, Guru Nanak Dev University “Punjab Journal of Politics” (India) 16 March 2007 p95
  • Verinder Grover “Political System in India” (India) 1989 p624
  • Sisir Kumar “ Netaji and India's Freedom: Proceedings of the International Netaji Seminar ... (India) 1975 p153
  • Subodh Chandra Sen Gupta “India Wrests Freedom” (India) 1982 p256
  • Mihir Bose “The Lost Hero: A Biography of Subhas Bose” (India) 1982 p142
  • Subodh Markandeya “Subhas Chandra Bose: Netaji's Passage to Immortality” 1990 p 141
  • Sohan Singh Josh "Hindustan Gadar Party: A Short History" (India) 1978 p199
  • Jan Kuhlmann “Subhas Chandra Bose und die Indienpolitik der Achsenmächte” 2003 Page 120
  • Bhattacharya “The Colonial State and the Communist Party of India, 1942-45: a Reappraisal” South Asia Research.1995; 15: 48-77
  • “Subhas Chandra Bose: conspiracy to join the Axis Powers” statements by Achhar Singh Chhina, Harmindar Singh Sodhi and Bhagat Ram, (India) Jul 1937-Nov 1943 p113

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Fauja Singh and Chaman Lal Datta “Who's who: Punjab Freedom Fighters” (Punjab, India) 1991 p5
  2. ^ Mihir Bose “Raj, Secrets, Revolution: A Life of Subhas Chandra Bose” (India) 2004 p175
  3. ^ Fauja Singh, Eminent Freedom Fighters of Punjab(Punjab, India) 1972 p 59
  4. ^ Bhagat Ram Talwar “The Talwars of Pathan Land and Subhas Chandra's Great Escape” (India) 1976 p184
  5. ^ Sisir Kumar “ Netaji and India's Freedom: Proceedings of the International Netaji Seminar (India) 1975 p153.
  6. ^ Fauja Singh, Eminent Freedom Fighters of Punjab (Punjab, India) 1972 p 60
  7. ^ Mridula “Peasants in India's Non-Violent Revolution: Practice and Theory” (India) 2004 p 227
  8. ^ Hari Singh “Agrarian Scene in British Punjab” (Punjab, India) 1984 p332