TanjaFreese: adding first biography w/ refs

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adding first biography w/ refs

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{{Short description|Pakistani politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = Babu
| name = Basanta Kumar Das
| image =
| office = Federal Minister of Pakistan
| prime_minister = [[Feroz Khan Noon]]
| 1blankname = Department
| 1namedata = Education and Labor
| term_start = 7 February 1958
| term_end = 7 October 1958
| predecessor = {{ubl|[[I. I. Chundrigar]]|[[Zahiruddin (diplomat)|Zahiruddin]]}}
| successor = {{ubl|Habibur Rahman|[[Wajid Ali Khan Burki]]}}
| office1 = Provincial Minister of East Pakistan
| 1blankname1 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata1 = [[Abu Hussain Sarkar]]
| 2blankname1 = Department
| 2namedata1 = Finance and Revenue
| term_start1 = 12 September 1955
| term_end1 = 15 August 1956
| predecessor1 = {{ubl|[[Abdul Latif Biswas (Pakistani politician)|Abdul Latif Biswas]]|Abu Hussain Sarkar}}
| successor1 = [[Prabhas Chandra Lahiri]]
| office2 = Provincial Minister of Assam
| prime_minister2 = [[Gopinath Bordoloi]]
| 2blankname2 = Department
| 2namedata2 = Home, Judicial, Legislative, Registration and General
| term_start2 = 11 March 1946
| term_end2 = 17 August 1947
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| office3 = [[List of speakers of the Assam Legislative Assembly|Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly]]
| leader3 = {{ubl|[[Muhammed Saadulah]]|Gopinath Bordoloi}}
| term_start3 = 7 April 1937
| term_end3 = 11 March 1946
| predecessor3 = ''position established''
| successor3 = [[Debeswar Sarmah]]
| birth_date = 2 November 1883
| birth_place = [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet District]], [[North-East Frontier Province]], British India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1965|01|19|1883|11|02|df=y}}
| death_place = [[South Calcutta]], [[West Bengal]], India
| party = [[Pakistan National Congress|PNC]] (1948–1958)
| other_party = {{ubl|[[Indian National Congress|INC]] (1921–1947)|[[Swaraj Party|SP]] (1923–1935)}}
| resting_place =
| relations =
| alma_mater = [[Surendranath Law College|Ripon Law College]]
| occupation = Lawyer
| education =
| nickname =
}}
'''Basanta Kumar Das''' ({{langx|bn|বসন্ত কুমার দাস}}; {{langx|ur|{{nq|بسنت کمار داس}}}}, 1883–1965) was Pakistani lawyer and politician of the [[Pakistan National Congress]] who was federal minister and a member of the [[Constituent Assembly of Pakistan]] from [[East Pakistan]].

== Early life ==
Das, came from a Sylheti family, was born on 2 November 1883 in Negal, Renga Pargana, [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet District]], [[North-East Frontier Province]], British India (present-day [[Dakshin Surma Upazila]], [[Sylhet District]], Bangladesh).<ref name=d/><ref name=l>{{cite book |title=সংসদ বাঙালী চরিতাভিধান |language=bn |year=1976 |page=329 |publisher=Sahitya Samsad}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=CONGRESS POLITICS IN ASSAM|first=V. Venkata|last=Rao|year=1965|volume=26|issue=4|journal=The Indian Journal of Political Science|publisher=Indian Political Science Association|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41854125}}</ref> He received his education from [[Sylhet Government College]], [[Bangabasi College]], [[Vidyasagar College]] and [[Surendranath Law College|Ripon Law College]].<ref name=d/> He started his political career by joining 22nd session of the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC) in 1906.<ref name=l/> After acquiring his law degree, he joined at Sylhet District Bar in 1910 and got a job as munsif after five years. However, in 1917, Das left his job and became leader of the district bar.<ref name=d/>

== Political career ==
In 1921 he joined the [[Non-cooperation movement (1919–1922)|non-cooperation movement]] and fought legal battle on the behalf of the movement's activists.<ref name=d/> In the 1930s, his efforts as Assam's MLC resulted the Sylhet–Shillong highway and a bridge on the [[Umngot River]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://sangbad.net.bd/news/bangladesh/2025/150596/|title=হাজার হাজার পর্যটকের কাছে দৃষ্টিনন্দন ডাউকির ঝুলন্ত সেতু|language=bn|date=12 July 2025|newspaper=[[The Sangbad]]}}</ref> As a member of the [[Central Legislative Assembly]], lower house of the [[Imperial Legislative Council]], Das proposed to change the name of [[Assam Province]], formerly North-East Frontier Province, as according to him [[Assamese people|Assamese]] were not majority of the province.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/world/south-asia/153040/how-the-1947-sylhet-partition-led-to-assam%E2%80%99s|title=How the 1947 Sylhet partition led to Assam's politics of the foreigner|date=13 August 2018|website=[[Dhaka Tribune]]}}</ref> In 1932, he was imprisoned for his involvement in the [[1932 Civil Disobedience Movement|civil disobedience movement]] and was released in 1934. In the [[1937 Indian provincial elections]], he was elected and became the speaker of the [[Assam Legislative Assembly]]. After the [[1946 Indian provincial elections]], he became minister for the home department of Assam Province.<ref name=d/> In the [[1946 Indian Constituent Assembly election]], he was elected as a INC politician from Assam Province.<ref>{{cite news|title=Assam Assembly Votes Against Grouping|page=1|date=18 July 1946|newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref> In April 1947, [[Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari]], governor of Assam, proposed to let the immigrants settle in the north bank of [[Brahmaputra River]] to resolve immigrants issues, which Das opposed.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://macl-ustm.digitallibrary.co.in/bitstream/123456789/2473/13/13_chapter4.pdf|title=PARLIAMENTARY POLITICS IN ASSAM|first=E|last=Hussain|publisher=Maulana Azad Digital Library}}</ref> During the [[1947 Sylhet referendum]], Das advocated for vote for joining Sylhet District to the [[dominion of India]]. However, the referendum's turnout was in favour of joining the [[dominion of Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bonikbarta.com/silk-route/issue614/T6TF7cVoVZ3hlEXq|title=সিলেট রেফারেন্ডাম ১৯৪৭: সাম্প্রদায়িক ভোটের ভ্রান্ত ধারণা|language=bn|first=Minhazul|last=Abedin|date=10 December 2024|newspaper=[[Bonik Barta]]}}</ref> On 2 January 1948, a delegation led by Das and composed of members from several organizations submitted a memorandum of complaints to [[Vallabhbhai Patel]], India's deputy prime minister, regarding discrimination against Bengalis in the newly formed Indian state of [[Assam (1947–1963)|Assam]].<ref>{{cite book|title=আসামে ভাষা আন্দোলন ও বাঙালি প্রসঙ্গ ১৯৪৭–১৯৬১|trans-title=Language Movement and Bengali Issue in Assam 1947–1961|language=bn|first=Sukumar|last=Biswas|year=2017|pages=45–47|publisher=Parul|isbn=978-93-86708-25-0}}</ref> After the [[partition of India]] in 1947, Das immigrated to [[East Bengal]] (later renamed as [[East Pakistan]]), part of newly-founded Pakistan, from Assam, India.<ref>{{cite book |title=অসমীয়া জীৱনী অভিধান |language=as |year=1992 |first=Shivanath |last=Barman |page=181 |publisher=Sofia Press & Publishers |place=Guwahati }}</ref> As a leader of the [[Pakistan National Congress]] (PNC), he became leader of the opposition of [[East Pakistan Provincial Assembly]].<ref name=d/><ref>{{cite book |title=Pakistan Affairs |date=1949 |publisher=Information Division, Embassy of Pakistan. |page=19 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dU8dAQAAMAAJ&q=Basanta+Kumar+Das+pakistan&pg=RA1-PA19-IA37 |language=en}}</ref> In 1955, he became finance minister of East Pakistan as a member of the [[First Abu Hussain Sarkar ministry]].<ref name=d/> In the same year, he was elected and became a member of the [[List of members of the 2nd Constituent Assembly of Pakistan|2nd National Assembly of Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Constituent Assembly of Pakistan Debates: Official Report |date=1956 |publisher=Manager of Publications. |page=3048 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t_Kx05Dk83EC&q=Basanta+Kumar+Das+pakistan |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|script-title=bn:গণপরিষদে বিভিন্ন দলের শক্তি নির্বাচিত সদস্যদের নামের তালিকা|trans-title=Party Strength in the Constituent Assembly and List of Elected Members|language=bn|page=6|date=24 June 1955|newspaper=[[The Azad]]}}</ref> In 1958, until a [[1958 Pakistani military coup|military coup]] happened, he was education and labor minister of Pakistan as a member of the [[Feroze Khan administration]].<ref name=d/><ref name=k/>

== Later life, death and legacy ==
In 1959, restriction on political activities was imposed for him according to Election Bodies Disqualification Order (EBDO) by the provincial tribunal of East Pakistan.<ref>{{cite book|title=বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিব|language=bn|year=1974|first=Mazharul|last=Islam|author-link=Mazharul Islam (poet)|page=337|publisher=[[Bangla Academy]]}}</ref> After that, he retired from politics. In 1960, Das moved to India for medical treatment.<ref name=k/> He died on 19 January 1965 at his son's house near [[Deshapriya Park]], [[South Calcutta]], India.<ref name=d>{{cite news|title=পরলোকে শ্রীবসন্ত কুমার দাস|language=bn|pages=1, 7|date=20 January 1965|newspaper=[[Jugantar Patrika]]}}</ref> His wife, social worker Kusum Kumari, was founder of the Sylhet Womens Association.<ref name=l/> After Das's death, his residence in Chalibandar, [[Sylhet]] was confiscated under the [[Enemy Property Act, 1965]]. In 1983, a school was established in his residence.<ref name=k>{{cite news|url=https://www.krctimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Silchar-THURSDAY-OCT-30-Membership-E-copy-EAST-NE-India-Edition-1.pdf|title=Basanta Kumar Das: Legal Luminary and Political Pioneer of South Asia|first=Sangram|last=Datta|page=2|date=30 October 2025|volume=1|issue=607|newspaper=KRC Times|place=Silchar|edition=East and NE India}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Das, Basanta Kumar}}
[[Category:1883 births]]
[[Category:1965 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Pakistani lawyers]]
[[Category:Pakistani Hindus]]
[[Category:Labour ministers of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Education ministers of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Provincial ministers of East Pakistan]]
[[Category:State cabinet ministers of Assam]]
[[Category:Speakers of the Assam Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Leaders of the opposition in the Provincial Assembly of East Pakistan]]
[[Category:Pakistani MNAs 1955–1958]]
[[Category:East Pakistan MLAs 1954–1958]]
[[Category:East Bengal MLAs 1947–1954]]
[[Category:Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India]]
[[Category:Assam MLAs 1946–1952]]
[[Category:Assam MLAs 1937–1946]]
[[Category:Bangladesh National Congress politicians]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians]]
[[Category:Swaraj Party politicians]]
[[Category:People from Dakshin Surma Upazila]]
[[Category:Politicians from Sylhet]]
[[Category:Surendranath Law College alumni]]
[[Category:Vidyasagar College alumni]]
[[Category:Bangabasi College alumni]]

Basanta Kumar Das (Pakistani politician) - Revision history

TanjaFreese: adding first biography w/ refs