Rajendra Prasad and Jayaprakash Narayan

Bihar gave independent India its first President and, a quarter-century later, the leader of the movement that challenged the most powerful government in the country's history. Dr Rajendra Prasad and Jayaprakash Narayan could hardly have been more different in temperament. But both were products of Bihar's freedom struggle, and both shaped the Republic.

Dr Rajendra Prasad (1884–1963)

Early life

• Born on 3 December 1884 at Ziradei, in present-day Siwan district.
• A brilliant student — he stood first in the entrance examination of Calcutta University.
• Became a successful lawyer at the Calcutta and later Patna High Court.

In the national movement

• Joined Gandhi in the Champaran Satyagraha (1917) and became one of his closest associates.
• Gave up his legal practice during Non-Cooperation; associated with Bihar Vidyapith and Sadaqat Ashram.
• Led the relief work after the 1934 Bihar earthquake.
• President of the Indian National Congress several times, including in 1934 and again in 1939 (after Subhas Chandra Bose's resignation) and 1947.
• Imprisoned during Quit India (1942–45).

Constituent Assembly and Presidency

• Elected President of the Constituent Assembly (December 1946), after Sachchidananda Sinha had served as its provisional president.
• Became the first President of India on 26 January 1950, and served two terms, until 1962 — the only President to have done so.
• He had differences with Nehru on some issues, including the Hindu Code Bill and the scope of presidential powers, but he respected constitutional conventions.

Honours and writings

• Awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1962.
• Writings include his autobiography (Atmakatha), Satyagraha in Champaran and India Divided.
• After retirement, he lived at Sadaqat Ashram, Patna, where he died on 28 February 1963.

Jayaprakash Narayan (1902–1979)

Early life

• Born on 11 October 1902 at Sitab Diara, a village at the confluence of the Ganga and Ghaghara on the Bihar–Uttar Pradesh border.
• Left college during Non-Cooperation.
• Studied in the United States (at universities including Berkeley, Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio State), working to pay his way; became attracted to Marxism.

Socialist and freedom fighter

• Returned to India in 1929 and joined the Congress.
• A founder of the Congress Socialist Party (1934), with Acharya Narendra Dev, Ram Manohar Lohia, Minoo Masani and others.
• During Quit India, escaped from Hazaribagh jail (November 1942) and organised underground resistance, including the Azad Dasta.

After independence

• Moved away from party politics.
• Joined Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan movement and, in 1954, dedicated his life to it (Jeevandaan).
• Played a key role in the surrender of Chambal dacoits (1972).
• Worked for peace initiatives in Nagaland and on Kashmir.

The 1974 movement and the Emergency

• In 1974, he agreed to lead the students' movement in Bihar against corruption, unemployment and misgovernance, on the condition that it remained non-violent.
• On 5 June 1974, at Gandhi Maidan, Patna, he called for Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution).
• The movement became national; during the Emergency (1975–77), JP was imprisoned.
• In 1977, the Janata Party, formed with his blessing, defeated the Congress.

See our guide on the JP Movement.

Honours

• Known as Lok Nayak ("people's leader").
• Awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1999.
• Died on 8 October 1979 in Patna.
• Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport, Patna, is named after him.

Comparing the two

Practice

Prelims-style:

1. Where was Rajendra Prasad born?
2. Who was the provisional president of the Constituent Assembly?
3. Which party did JP help found in 1934?
4. Where and when did JP call for Total Revolution?
5. When was JP awarded the Bharat Ratna?

Mains-style:

• "Rajendra Prasad set the standards of the presidency." Discuss.
• Examine Jayaprakash Narayan's contribution to Indian democracy.