Purushottam Das Tandon

Purushottam Das Tandon is one of the patriarchal figures of the Indian National Congress. He presided over the Congress session in Nasik in 1950. He was a staunch champion of Hindi as a national language. and believed in upholding Hindu ideals. He was deeply religious and had considerable influence over the religious sect called the Radhasoamis. He emphasized the essential oneness of Hindu-Muslim culture in spite of palpable differences.Born on August 1, 1882, Tandon had his education in Lahore. He entered the legal profession in 1906. He joined the Congress in 1899 even as a student. He was associated with the Congress committee which inquired into the Jallianwalla Bagh incident. He was imprisoned in 1928 for active participation in the non-cooperation movement. He was imprisoned again during the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930.From 1932 onwards he was imprisoned a number of times for organizing peasant movements. In 1937-38 and again in 1945 he presided over the Utter Pradesh Legislature as Speaker with great distinction. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1952 and the Rajya Sabha in 1956. He retired from active politics in 1956. The Bharat Ratna was conferred upon him on 1961. He passed away in July 1, 1961