Gurdial Singh Dhillon
{{Short description|Indian politician (1915–1992)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Gurdial Singh Dhillon
| image = Gurdial Singh Dhillon Lok Sabha photo.jpg
| imagesize =
| birth_date ={{birth date|1915|8|6|df=y}}
| birth_place =Amritsar, Punjab, British India
| death_date ={{death date and age|1992|3|23|1915|8|6|df=y}}
| death_place = New Delhi, India
| office = Minister for Agriculture
| term_start = 12 May 1986
| term_end = 14 February 1988[http://speakerloksabha.nic.in/former/Gsdhillon.asp The Office of Speaker Lok Sabha]
| primeminister = Rajiv Gandhi
| predecessor =
| successor =
| office2 = 5th Speaker of Lok Sabha
| term_start2 = 8 August 1969
| term_end2 = 19 March 1971[http://speakerloksabha.nic.in/frmspeaker.asp The Office of Speaker Lok Sabha]
|deputy2 = G.G. Swell
| predecessor2 = Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
| successor2 = himself
| term_start3 = 22 March 1971
|deputy3 = G.G. Swell
| predecessor3 = himself
| successor3 = Bali Ram Bhagat
| alma_mater = Punjab University Law College
| occupation = Politician
Diplomat
| party = Indian National Congress
}}
Dr. Gurdial Singh Dhillon (6 August 1915 – 23 March 1992) was an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress party. He served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha twice, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (1973–76)[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/International_Organizations.html International Organizations. worldstatesmen.org.] and Indian High Commissioner to Canada (1980–82).
Early life
On 6 August 1915, Gurdial Singh Dhillon was born in the Panjwar, some 20 kilometres west of Amritsar city in Punjab into a Dhillon Jat family, He was descendants of Bhangi misl rulers. He studied at Khalsa College, Amritsar and Government College, Lahore before graduating in law from Punjab University Law College in Lahore.{{Cite web|url=http://www.winentrance.com/general_knowledge/g-s-dhillon.html|title=Biography of G.S Dhillon|date=2011-03-19|website=Winentrance|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126180129/http://www.winentrance.com/general_knowledge/g-s-dhillon.html|archive-date=26 January 2020|access-date=2020-01-26|url-status=dead}} He played an active role in the Harse Chhina Mogha Morcha rebellion in 1947.Mukherjee, Mridula; Peasants in India's Non-violent Revolution: Practice and Theory p. 233; Sage 2004 {{ISBN|0-7619-9686-9}}
Political career
Dhillon was a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly (1952–1967), where he was its Deputy Speaker (1952–54) and its Speaker (1954–62).{{Cite web |url=http://punjabgovt.nic.in/government/PunjabLegistature.htm#Speakers%20of%20Punjab%20Legislative%20Assembly |title=Welcome to Official Web site of Punjab, India |access-date=6 December 2008 |archive-date=28 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100728021710/http://punjabgovt.nic.in/government/PunjabLegistature.htm#Speakers%20of%20Punjab%20Legislative%20Assembly |url-status=dead }} In 1967 he was first elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower House of the Indian Parliament representing Tarn Taran parliamentary constituency.http://www.eci.gov.in/SR_KeyHighLights/LS_1967/Vol_I_LS_67.pdf {{Dead link|date=February 2022}} He was elected from Firozpur in 1985.
Dhillon served two terms as Speaker of Lok Sabha (1969–71 and 1971–75) and was Minister of Agriculture in the Indian Government (1986–1988).[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SJ&s_site=mercurynews&p_multi=SJ&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB728C9B168F15D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Mercury News: Search Results] Regarding his time in Parliament, his biography on the Lok Sabha website expresses the following: {{blockquote|A man of uncompromising principles, he considered the institution of Parliament to be the temple of democracy and as such had great respect for the House and its traditions and conventions. The rare ability to quickly assess the mood of the House and a pragmatic approach helped him discharge the onerous responsibility of the office of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha in a dignified way. Dhillon's election as the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council of the IPU was at once a great honour for himself and also for the people and the Parliament of India.}}
With Kartar Singh, he co-authored a series of eight children's books in the early 1970s entitled 'Stories from Sikh History'.[https://books.google.com/books?id=aomeAAAACAAJ&dq=Stories+from+Sikh+history Stories from Sikh History - Kartar Singh, Gurdial S. Dhillon - Google Boeken]
Having undergone heart bypass surgery, Dr. Dhillon died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi on 23 March 1992 following a heart attack.{{Cite web |url=http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/lsdeb/ls10/ses3/0124039201.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=6 December 2008 |archive-date=15 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615102006/http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/lsdeb/ls10/ses3/0124039201.htm |url-status=dead }}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.saadigitalarchive.org/entity/gurdial-singh-dhillon Gurdial Singh Dhillon materials in the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)]
- [https://www.thehindu.com/archives/the-woes-of-lok-sabha-speaker/article30169963.ece The woes of Lok Sabha Speaker: A graphic account of the Speaker’s woes was given by Mr. G.S. Dhillon]
{{Speakers of the Lok Sabha}}
{{Government of India}}
{{Parliament of India}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhillon, Gurdial Singh}}
Category:High commissioners of India to Canada
Category:Politicians from Amritsar district
Category:Speakers of the Lok Sabha
Category:Punjab University Law College alumni
Category:Government College University, Lahore alumni
Category:Lok Sabha members from Punjab, India
Category:Speakers of the Punjab Legislative Assembly
Category:Agriculture ministers of India
Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Punjab, India
Category:People from Firozpur district