Popularly known as Deshbandhu and a lawyer by profession, Chittaranjan Das played a major role in the freedom movement of India. He was born on Nov 5, 1870 to a highly educated family with rich cultural surroundings. His father was Bhuvan Mohan, who was a solicitor by profession and also worked as a reporter and editor in the English church weekly, the Brahmo Public Opinion. Chittaranjan Das completed his graduation in 1890 from Presidency College, Calcutta and went to England to sit for the Indian Civil Service examination but he failed to clear the examination. Educated in England, where he became a Barrister, his public career began in 1909 when he successfully defended Aurobindo Ghosh on charges of involvement in the previous year's Alipore bomb case. He set up an undergraduate union and also raised his voice for the use of Bengali language in university examinations. He substantially contributed with Bipin Chandra Pal and Aurobindo Ghose in writing Bande Mataram, an English weekly. He also tried to instill the ideas of Swaraj among the young Indian freedom fighters. He was involved in active politics from 1917 to 1925 and was fondly called Deshbandhu.
Chittaranjan Das presided over the Bhowanipore session of the Bengal Provincial Conference in 1917and was as well present at the special session of the Congress in Bombay in 1918 and voiced his opposition of the Montague-Chelmsford Report. He was also a member of the Congress Enquiry Committee set up to look into the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre in 1919 and in the same year, he opposed the acceptance of the Government of India Act of 1919. He was appointed as "supermom" by the Congress in Bengal to focus activities against the government. On December 11, 1921 for his activities, he was arrested and later released in July, 1922. Although he was elected as President of the Ahmedabad Congress, Chittaranjan Das was not allowed to take the chair as he was an under-trial prisoner. After release he was elected as President of the Congress for its Gaya session.
He founded the All India Swaraj Party in 1923 and was the President along with Motilal Nehru, serving as secretary. The name of the party was the Congress Khilafat Swaraj Party and its manifesto was issued at Gaya in December 1922. The party was devoted to the attainment of Swaraj by all peaceful and legitimate means. The Swaraj Party soon emerged as an important opposition leader and contested elections to the provincial councils and the Indian Legislative Assembly. Almost a terror to the Bengal Government he was successful in defeating important proposals of the government. The Calcutta Pact between Mahatma Gandhi and C.R. Das led to the recognition of the Swaraj Party by the Congress as its council entry wing in 1924. During the Kanpur session of the Congress in 1925, the Swaraj Party was merged with the Indian National Congress. In the year 1924, Chittaranjan Das was elected the first mayor of the Calcutta Corporation. Although, he was devoted to the agrarian cause and strongly opposed the industrialization of India on European patterns, he was against trade and commerce. He understood the potential of labour and wanted cheap capital for industries so that they could yield returns while presiding over the Lahore session of the All India Trade Union Congress in 1923 he expressed support for factory legislation and the unionisation of industrial workers. He also presided over the Calcutta session of the All India Trade Union Congress in 1924.
Deshbandhu was a Brahmo Samajist initially but later became a vaishnava and regarded each and everything as the revelation of God. Like his commarades Bankim Ch Chatterjee and Aurobindo Ghose Chittaranjan Das also held the concept of the Indian nation as divine. He was all for Hindu-Muslim cooperation and even evolved the Das Formula to adjust the claims of different communities in Bengal- He realised early the latent threat which imperialism posed to world peace. He differentiated between aggressive nationalism and the need for self-develop*ment and self-fulfillment. He was a believer in the theory of fundamental rights, and included mental and moral harmony and growth along with political freedom under Swaraj. He was also familiar with modern western political theories. His prophetic vision and grasp of politics came to expression in his advocacy of village panchayats and his five- point programme on governmental reconstruction. The five-point programme stated: the formation of local centres based on the ancient village system, the growth of larger groups resulting from integration of these local centres, sim*ilar growth for a unified state, autonomy for the village centers and larger groups, and the retention of the residuary power of control with the central government. On June 16,1925, Deshbandhu breathed his last and left for heavenly abode in Darjeeling.
Chittaranjan Das presided over the Bhowanipore session of the Bengal Provincial Conference in 1917and was as well present at the special session of the Congress in Bombay in 1918 and voiced his opposition of the Montague-Chelmsford Report. He was also a member of the Congress Enquiry Committee set up to look into the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre in 1919 and in the same year, he opposed the acceptance of the Government of India Act of 1919. He was appointed as "supermom" by the Congress in Bengal to focus activities against the government. On December 11, 1921 for his activities, he was arrested and later released in July, 1922. Although he was elected as President of the Ahmedabad Congress, Chittaranjan Das was not allowed to take the chair as he was an under-trial prisoner. After release he was elected as President of the Congress for its Gaya session.
He founded the All India Swaraj Party in 1923 and was the President along with Motilal Nehru, serving as secretary. The name of the party was the Congress Khilafat Swaraj Party and its manifesto was issued at Gaya in December 1922. The party was devoted to the attainment of Swaraj by all peaceful and legitimate means. The Swaraj Party soon emerged as an important opposition leader and contested elections to the provincial councils and the Indian Legislative Assembly. Almost a terror to the Bengal Government he was successful in defeating important proposals of the government. The Calcutta Pact between Mahatma Gandhi and C.R. Das led to the recognition of the Swaraj Party by the Congress as its council entry wing in 1924. During the Kanpur session of the Congress in 1925, the Swaraj Party was merged with the Indian National Congress. In the year 1924, Chittaranjan Das was elected the first mayor of the Calcutta Corporation. Although, he was devoted to the agrarian cause and strongly opposed the industrialization of India on European patterns, he was against trade and commerce. He understood the potential of labour and wanted cheap capital for industries so that they could yield returns while presiding over the Lahore session of the All India Trade Union Congress in 1923 he expressed support for factory legislation and the unionisation of industrial workers. He also presided over the Calcutta session of the All India Trade Union Congress in 1924.
Deshbandhu was a Brahmo Samajist initially but later became a vaishnava and regarded each and everything as the revelation of God. Like his commarades Bankim Ch Chatterjee and Aurobindo Ghose Chittaranjan Das also held the concept of the Indian nation as divine. He was all for Hindu-Muslim cooperation and even evolved the Das Formula to adjust the claims of different communities in Bengal- He realised early the latent threat which imperialism posed to world peace. He differentiated between aggressive nationalism and the need for self-develop*ment and self-fulfillment. He was a believer in the theory of fundamental rights, and included mental and moral harmony and growth along with political freedom under Swaraj. He was also familiar with modern western political theories. His prophetic vision and grasp of politics came to expression in his advocacy of village panchayats and his five- point programme on governmental reconstruction. The five-point programme stated: the formation of local centres based on the ancient village system, the growth of larger groups resulting from integration of these local centres, sim*ilar growth for a unified state, autonomy for the village centers and larger groups, and the retention of the residuary power of control with the central government. On June 16,1925, Deshbandhu breathed his last and left for heavenly abode in Darjeeling.